Old Scars
by WalkingDeadRox
Summary: Clementine, a young girl who has traumatizing past and who seeks love and attention after she believes that she lost everyone. A mysterious archer, a life full of trial and a little love is all alone now. How will things change?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey… for this particular fic, I'm going to have it to where Lee never cuts Clementine's hair. It's not going to really affect much. The reason for this change is because I haven't done a fic where Clem keeps her hair long… in other words variety. The rest of the story picks up after Lee's death.**

 **Also, this story is going to be told in the perspective of Clementine and an OC's.**

Clementine whimpered as she left the jewelry store through the back exit. She was covered in muck, her eyes stung from crying so much, and her whole body shook in fear. Two of her greatest fears have happened. She was alone, and she was surrounded by walkers.

She took in heavy breaths before she started to make her way through the heard. She just had to hope that none of the creatures would notice her. It was a good thing that she had been to Savannah with her parents enough times to know which way to go.

She thought of her parents. Seeing them as walkers made her very depressed. She loved them. She loved Lee. And now they were gone. She felt hot tears form in her eyes before she continued forward. Her vision was becoming blurry so she wiped away the tears with her free hand. Despite how sad she was, she had to keep going; otherwise, Lee's sacrifice would be in vain.

* * *

Clementine trudged through the field of tall grass. It had taken her all night to get through the herd and get out of Savannah. She tried to get to the train, but there were walkers all over it. To make matters worse, she had no idea where Christa and Omid were. There was no way that they would have went to the train when it was surrounded by walkers.

Her legs ached for rest. She finally obliged and she sat down on a nearby log. She looked down to the ground and noticed some used shotgun shells. She picked up one of the shells and examined it. She didn't know of anyone from within the group that used a shotgun, and even if the shells were useful, she couldn't use them. She didn't have a shotgun, and she was unable to use one.

Suddenly, she looked up. Something caught her eye. She looked up to the hill; there were two figures on it. Clementine got up from the log with wide eyes. She dropped the shotgun shell and opened her mouth to say something. However, nothing came out. She didn't know if the two figures were Christa and Omid. Upon further examination, both figures weren't too far apart when it came to their height. Omid was significantly shorter than Christa. This meant that they were strangers.

Clementine has had a mixed record with strangers. Lee was the best and the man that kidnapped her was the worst. She looked back up and was horrified to see the figures getting closer to her. They spotted her. She wasn't sure what to do. She was too exhausted to run and there was almost nowhere to hide. She had to stand her ground. She brought the gun up and was ready to shoot if these new strangers were dangerous.

Soon, one of them came up the hill. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore an orange long sleeve shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black shoes. He had a harness on which had a machete attached to it. "It's alright." The man said as he showed his hands. "It's okay. We don't want any trouble."

"S-S-Stay back." Clementine said with evident fear in her voice.

A woman soon joined him. She was a tad overweight. She wore a white long sleeve shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black shoes.

"Luke… she has to be bit… There's nothing we can do for her." The woman said.

"Hold your horses, Tavia. Let me talk to her." The man, Luke, said. He turned back to the girl and he said, "Are you alright? I know you're covered in muck, but… are you bit or scratched?"

Clementine shook her head in response. Luke noticed that the child was afraid so he took out his machete and placed it on the ground. "Alright sweetie. I'm going to walk towards you very slowly and take the gun from you. No one's going to get hurt." Luke said in a calm tone of voice.

"N-No!" Clementine said. Her grip was becoming shakier.

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you." Luke said. He approached the young girl slowly as her grip got shakier. She wasn't sure if she could trust them, but she knew that she couldn't shoot them. Lee had told her that taking a life changes everything.

Clementine lowered her head and accepted defeat. Luke took the gun from her grasp and he said, "It's alright." Despite her being covered in muck, Luke pulled her in for a hug. She whimpered in response. "It's okay." Luke said.

"No… it's not…" Clementine whimpered. "My mom, my dad, my friends, my group… they're all gone."

"Aw… I'm sorry." Luke said as he patted her on the back.

After crying for a few minutes, Clementine could hear the woman, Tavia, speak up. "Get her back to the car, I'm going to see if there are any other survivors in Savannah. That's probably where she came from."

"No!" Clementine exclaimed as she got out of Luke's hug. "Don't go to Savannah. It's completely overrun. There are hundreds of walkers there!"

"Walkers?" Luke asked. "You mean the limping corpses that eat people, right?"

Clementine nodded in response.

"That's impossible. It can't be that bad." Tavia said.

"It is." Clementine said. "Being covered in muck was the only way I got out of the city."

The two adults looked to each other with a questioning stare before they looked to Clementine. "Now hold on." Luke said. "How does getting covered in muck keep lurkers from attacking."

"My guardian, Lee, cut one of them open and covered me with its… blood and stuff." Clementine said but she trailed off. She shuttered at the thought of being smeared with entrails as well as the pain of losing her guardian. "When you're covered, they think you're them. They don't recognize you as food."

Once again the two adults looked to each other. "What do you think?" Luke asked.

"I'm going to go check it out. See what the city is like." Tavia said. "You get her back to the car."

"Alright… sounds fair." Luke said as he stood upright.

"Alright… See ya in a while." Tavia said. She went in the same direction that Clementine had come from. The girl couldn't help but feel that it would be the last time that she would see the woman, and she knew it would be the case, if Tavia didn't heed her warning.

"Let's go." Luke said as he took her hand and led her to the vehicle. "I bet you're hungry and tired."

"I am… a little." Clementine said.

"Don't worry. I'll give you something to eat in the car and then I'll let you sleep… but that sweatshirt's got to go… No way can we clean that up and it ain't healthy for you to wear it." Luke said.

"Okay." Clementine said.

They continued to walk in silence as they went through the countryside. Clementine felt like she was going to doze off at any minute.

"We're almost there." Luke said.

Clementine trudged further along with the man. Eventually, they reached a car which was on the side of the road. Luke pulled the sweatshirt off of her and went to the trunk of the car. He rummaged through the trunk while Clementine opened the door and crawled into the backseat. She laid down and closed her eyes. "Someone's sleepy." Luke said. Clementine could feel him tuck her in with a blanket.

She didn't open her eyes. She was too exhausted. She knew that her hair would be a mess when she woke up again, but she didn't care. It was time for sleep.

 **Someone's POV**

A teenage boy walked into an abandoned town as evening got closer to night time. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a red hooded sweatshirt with a black shirt underneath, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of boots. He had a compound bow with a quiver full of arrows and a knife which was holstered to his belt.

At the moment, he was outside of Savannah. He was hoping to go into the city after hearing of a survivor's camp within it, but his hopes were dashed when he saw that the city was overrun with walkers. He was now in a nearby town. It was too late to go looking for anywhere else to stay. He would be at a disadvantage by going back out there to find somewhere else to sleep.

He went into a nearby house and crouched down as he entered. His bow was in hand and he had an arrow lined up. He was ready in case the house was occupied by unfriendly people or walkers. He went inside and picked up on two voices.

"We're going back out there tomorrow." A woman said.

"I know… We'll find her." A man said. The teenager went to the source of the voices and saw a young couple talking to each other. The woman was wearing a purple and white coat, light blue jeans, and grey shoes. The man wore a brown coat, blue jeans, and black shoes. Although they were sitting, the man appeared significantly shorter than the woman.

"I just hope… wherever she is that… she's okay." The woman said.

"Yeah me too…" The man said with a frown. "Who knows… Maybe Molly found her and they're trying to find us."

"I hope so." The woman said.

The teen figured that they were possibly talking about a lost daughter or something similar. All that he could tell was that they were distraught over a missing girl. He crept away and went upstairs. He could tell that they were decent people so crashing in the same house as them wouldn't be a bad idea. He made his way up the stairs and went into one of the rooms. He went over to the nearby bed and laid down to rest. He had his compound bow in hand as he slept.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine's eyes opened and she yawned. She sat up in her seat. "Hey you're finally awake." Luke said.

Clementine looked up to the front of the vehicle where Luke and Tavia were. Tavia was in the passenger seat sleeping while Luke drove the car down the road. "Thanks for the heads up yesterday." Luke said. "Probably saved Tavia's life… She told me the whole city overrun. Also said that you weren't joking. I guess we ought to give you more credit from now on."

Clementine shrugged in response. "Where are we going? How long was I out?" Clementine asked.

"We're going back to my and Tavia's community. Our leader, Bill, sent us down to Savannah to check on a supposed community that was in the middle of the city… but I guess it fell." Luke said. "As for how long you were out, I'd say almost twenty-four hours."

Clementine's eyes widened. "That long…" She said.

"You were tired." Luke said. "You needed your rest. By the way, there's some animal crackers and a cheese and cracker snack back there for you. Go ahead and eat."

Clementine looked down to the food items and she picked them up. She kept wondering if Omid and Christa were alive and safe. She wanted to cry since she probably would never see them again. However, that was the case for everyone that she had ever met.

Her stomach growled for food. Clementine had to oblige. She was very hungry. She opened the cheese and cracker snack first and started to eat it in silence.

"So… what's your name?" Luke asked. "I'm sure by now that you know that I'm Luke and that's Tavia."

"I'm Clementine." Clementine said.

"Clementine? That's a pretty name." Luke said.

"Thanks. Took me forever to spell it right in preschool." Clementine said.

"I bet." Luke said. "Was that the last grade you were in?" He had a smirk on his face.

"What? No, of course not. I was in second grade. I would be in third grade right now if there were no walkers." Clementine said.

Luke chuckled and he said, "I'm just joking with you, kid."

A small smile formed on Clementine's face. Luke didn't seem too bad. Maybe she could trust these strangers especially since they were going to a community. She just hoped that it wasn't in a city. Lee had told her that going into the cities was too dangerous. She ate the cheese and cracker snack rather quickly before she started to eat the animal crackers.

"So… can you tell me everything that happened?" Luke asked.

Clementine sighed and she said, "Okay… but… I might cry at the end."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Luke said. "Though I'm sure Bill will want to know everything… and he's not as sympathetic as me."

Clementine sighed and she said, "I was eight when all of this happened… My babysitter, Sandra was looking after me, but then this crazy guy busted in and attacked her. I didn't learn until later that he was a walker. I… I got scared, so I ran outside and hid in my treehouse. I didn't come down for a couple days after that. The whole time that I was up there, I kept hearing people scream, walkers groaning, and even another crazy guy that wanted to get in my house to steal the tv. This time he was a human."

Luke chuckled and he said, "What use would a tv be nowadays?"

"Not sure? I don't think he thought a lot of it through. He tried to bust down the back door with a rock… when it was unlocked." Clementine said with smile.

Luke scoffed and he said, "I guess some people are just born with nothing up there."

Clementine giggled in response before she continued. "After a couple days, I heard a gunshot in the forest behind my fence. It was pretty close. I checked it out and saw this man. He was yelling for help. I went back inside my treehouse since I knew what would happen next. He was different though. He somehow got into my backyard and he went into my house."

"Hopefully, he knew how to use the door." Luke said.

"Yeah… he did… thankfully…" Clementine said. "He seemed alright, so I talked to him with the use of my walkie-talkie. I told him to be careful since I believe that Sarah was a monster by that point… but he got attacked by her anyway. I ran down from my treehouse and helped him by giving him a hammer. After he got the hammer, he started to bash the walker's head until he finally killed it."

"Who was this man?" Luke asked.

"His name was Lee. He took care of me after that. We met some more people along the way. At some point, there was ten of us, but then… people happened." Clementine said.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

Clementine frowned. "Three months after all of this madness began, these people who owned a dairy farm convinced us that they could help feed us… but they ate people and they made everyone in my group eat our friend."

Luke jumped from the front seat. "You're kidding?"

"I wish I was. Lee got downstairs in time to prevent me from eating Mark… who was a member of my group." Clementine said. "We eventually got out of there, but not before we lost another person. He was kind of mean, but he was trying to look after someone."

"Damn…" Luke muttered.

"A week later… everything seemed normal, but then we got attacked by bandits and all the noise attracted walkers. My friend, Duck, got bit, and after we pulled over… the adults started fighting over who was working with the bandits. Once the fighting stopped and we looked over to Kenny which was one of Lee's friends, I heard a gunshot and a thud. I looked back over to see that Carley was dead. Lilly, the leader, had killed her."

"My gosh… just like that… out of cold blood?" Luke said. "Right in front of you?"

"Yeah…" Clementine said. "It just got worse from there. We drove down the road a little more until we found a train. We met the owner of the train… I think… His name was Chuck. Anyway, we got in the train since it was faster than the RV until… well… Duck was ready… He was done… I was scared and sad at the same time. Kenny and Katjaa took Duck into the woods so I wouldn't see him die while Lee talked to me… but then we heard a gunshot. Lee went into the woods to investigate. And while he was gone… Chuck told me that I'll become just like Duck."

"Now why would he say that?" Luke asked. He seemed shocked and angry.

"He said that since I didn't know how to use a gun yet. I told Lee about it and he went to talk to Chuck. After that, he taught me how to shoot and we made a plan." Clementine said.

"Well… I guess it all worked out then…" Luke said.

"Yeah… eventually we made it to Savannah and fought this place called Crawford." Clementine said.

"Crawford… That's the place that Bill wanted us to go check out. So your group took it down?" Luke asked.

Clementine shook her head and she said, "No, they had already fallen by the time we showed up. The place was crawling with walkers."

"Oh okay…" Luke said. He sounded a bit more relieved that her previous group wasn't hostile. "So why were you there?"

"We needed stuff for the boat that we found." Clementine said. "Crawford picked the city clean so it just made sense."

"I see… and you went along?" Luke said.

Clementine nodded and she said, "I thought it would be where my mom and dad were."

"Still that's really dangerous. Try to be a bit more careful in the future. People are typically ten times worse than lurkers." Luke said.

"Sorry… I didn't care at the time… I wanted to get to my parents." Clementine said. "So once we got everything, we met up in a classroom in the school. The walkers were trying to barge in… Things got crazy but we got out."

"What happened after that?" Luke asked.

"Well… by this point, I was talking with someone on my radio. He said that he had my parents. I figured since I trusted Lee and that turned out well then I can trust him… but I was wrong…" There was a whimper in her voice. "He kidnapped me and locked me in a room."

"Did he hurt you?" Luke asked with a worried tone of voice.

"No… but he… he lied to me. Got me away from Lee. Lee saved me but he was bit… I didn't find out till later that he was dying…" Hot tears rolled down her face. It hurt to talk about all of it.

"Hmm… that's rough… I'm sorry that happened to you." Luke said.

Clementine nodded before she laid down on the backseat and curled up in a ball. She just wanted to cry to herself.

"Listen Clementine, where were going, there's some really good people. I won't lie. Some of them are a bit difficult to deal with, but they are few and far between. You stay away from them and stay close to the good people and maybe you'll be happy again." Luke said.

"I can't forget what happened." Clementine said with a whimper.

"You won't… but we'll try to provide you with a happier life. Just give us a chance." Luke said.

Clementine contemplated over his words until she finally said, "Okay…"

… **To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

 **Someone's POV**

The teenager tossed and turned until he opened his eyes. He huffed as he sat upright. "Damn…" He muttered. It was another nightmare. He had been enduring these nightmares for the last few weeks.

He felt the cold metal of a gun being pressed to the back of his head. "Alright… I believe you owe us an explanation." The woman from last night said.

"Easy Christa." The man said.

"Omid, we don't know this boy. He had to have snuck in last night and knew that we were here." The woman said.

"So… you woke up before me… I must be getting lazy…" The boy muttered.

"Answer the question. Who are you?" Christa inquired as she shoved her gun into the back of the boy's head.

The boy huffed and he said, "Zeke…"

"Zeke?" Christa inquired.

"Yeah… short for Ezekiel…" Zeke said. He scoffed and he said, "I find it kind of ironic that I got named after a prophet and book from the Bible when my parents were far from having Christian values."

Christa lowered her gun and she stood upright. "What do you mean?" Christa asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it…" Zeke muttered as he stood up.

"How old are you, kid?" Omid asked.

"Thirteen…" Zeke said.

"Hmm… looks about right. You look thirteen." Omid said.

"Yeah… thanks grandpa." Zeke said.

"Hey!" Omid whined.

Christa laughed and she said, "Well… I guess a sense of humor is a good thing. Maybe you can come with us for a while. We're looking for a little girl named Clementine. She's kind of short. Amber eyes, dark brown, curly hair, white dress, red hoodie, black tights. Have you seen her?"

"No… but… I did come across some tracks yesterday. Pretty small shoe size…" Zeke said.

"Show us… We haven't found anything from her." Christa said.

"Alright… it's a bit of a walk though." Zeke said. "Are you sure the old man over there can handle it."

Omid sent a playful glare and he said, "You know youngster, one of these days this old man's going to get back at you. Even if I have to get up and use my cane to walk all the way over there."

Christa scoffed and she said, "Alright… enough joking around you two. Let's get out there and try to find Clementine."

"Alright…" Zeke said. He got up and picked up his bow.

"Sorry… about earlier…" Christa said. "I didn't know if you were dangerous or not."

"It's fine." Zeke said as he stretched. "I don't really care anymore…" He went down the stairs of the house with Omid and Christa following him. They seemed like decent people, but Zeke didn't know for sure.

* * *

Zeke was following the set of track with Christa and Omid. He had picked up the trail outside of Savannah and has followed it for the last hour. However, Zeke stopped at a nearby log. It seemed there were another set of tracks along with the child's.

"What's wrong?" Christa asked.

"Looks like someone found her…" Zeke said.

"What makes you say that?" Omid asked. There was a panicking tone in his voice.

"There's another set of footprints along with hers. They seem just as old as hers. The good news is that there's no sign of a struggle." Zeke explained.

"Can you find them?" Christa asked.

"I'll certainly try." Zeke said. He walked further along. He noticed that Christa and Omid seemed frightened. "Try not to worry too much… Kids are usually a good judge of character."

"Yeah… usually… We've had a problem in the past because she trusted someone when she shouldn't have." Christa said.

"Then she's a better judge of character than most kids. Got to keep in mind that she's learning by acting." Zeke said.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience." Omid said.

Zeke scoffed and he said, "Yeah… maybe I am…"

"So… you want to talk about it?" Christa asked.

"No…" Zeke said as he continued to follow the trail. The two adults didn't say much after that. Zeke kept looking down and followed the tracks. He kept thinking about what happened weeks earlier… how everything changed for him.

They walked across the countryside until the tracks ended at the road. There was a red hooded sweatshirt on the ground.

"Oh no…" Christa muttered. She picked up the small hooded sweatshirt and held it up. Omid's eyes were wide.

The sweatshirt was left inside out so Christa fixed it. It was covered in walker blood. "You… You think she's alright?" Omid asked.

"Smart kid…" Zeke said. "She used the walker's entrails to cover her scent… that must have been how she got out of Savannah… and you said this kid was eight?"

"She was with someone… a man named Lee… He was bit but he still tried to get to her." Christa said. "He must have figured it out."

"So to get her through the herd even after he passed, he covered her in the walker's entrails." Zeke said.

"And then someone else found her. They got to this point and had her take it off… Probably a good thing since that sweatshirt would have made her sick." Omid said.

"Let's hope so anyway…" Christa said. She turned to Zeke and she asked, "Where'd they go after that?"

"Let me look around the area… I have a feeling I know where they went, but I want to make sure." Zeke said. The two adults nodded and allowed the boy to look around the area.

Several minutes passed by until Zeke reached his conclusion. He knew that the news would upset Christa and Omid. He walked back over and he said, "I can't find anymore tracks… which confirms my suspicions."

"What? What is it?" Omid asked with wide eyes. Christa seemed unnerved as well.

"They're in a car…" Zeke said.

"Okay… so we just need to get a car and follow them. I mean we promised Lee that we would look after her…" Omid said.

Zeke shook his head and he said, "We'll just have to hope and pray that whoever found her… are good people… We can't do anything now."

"No… please… there's got to be something we can do… We can find her." Christa said.

Zeke shook his head and he said, "There are thousands of possible ways that she and the people with her could have gone… Tracking a car down is almost impossible."

"There's got to be something we can do… We can't just abandon her…" Christa said with a frown. Her voice was starting to crack and tears were forming in her eyes.

Zeke huffed and he said, "I wish there was… Truth is… she's probably a few states away by now… and I have no idea where they went."

"No…" Christa cried. Omid moved in to comfort her.

"It's okay baby…" Omid said to comfort the woman.

"Just pray that she's safe and happy… That's all you can ever do anymore." Zeke said with a frown.

 **Clementine's POV**

The car came to a stop and Luke climbed out of the vehicle. "Come on, Clem… This is our home." Luke said as he gestured to a hardware store.

"Ah… you're back." An older man said as he approached the three.

"Hey Bill. This is Clementine. She's the sole survivor of Savannah." Tavia said.

"Sole survivor?" Bill asked with a questioning stare. "That bad?"

"It's overrun. You can't even walk through the streets." Tavia said.

"Damn…" Bill muttered. He looked to Tavia and he said, "You'll have to give me a detailed report on your findings."

"Will do." Tavia said. She walked inside the hardware store.

Bill looked back to Clementine and smiled at her. "Now… I'd say that you're welcome to stay with us for a while, but… you're going to have to tell me what happened… and I don't mean in just Savannah… I mean up to now… since the lurkers have come…" Bill said.

Clementine frowned and she said, "I… I can't… It hurts too much to talk about it."

"Whether it does or not, I do need information. I'm in the dark. I need to know what happened." Bill said.

"Bill… she told me everything that happened. I'll just tell you what happened to her. We don't need her balling her eyes out." Luke said.

"Very well… As long as I get some information on what happened." Bill said. He made a gestured with his hand. "Car keys." Bill said. Luke nodded and gave the keys to Bill. However, Bill soon looked down to Clementine. "I'll need that gun, missy. I can't have you going around with it inside my home." Clementine nodded and she presented the handle of the gun to Bill. Bill took her gun and he smiled. "Good."

"Come on." Luke said and he escorted Clementine inside.

* * *

"He doesn't seem all that nice. He's a bit scary." Clementine said as they walked through the hardware store.

"Yeah… Bill can come off as intimidating at times. He doesn't mean to. He's just got a lot going on." Luke said.

"Yeah… I understand. That Lilly woman I talked about was scary sometimes." Clementine said.

"I bet… She sounded scary when you talked about her." Luke said.

"So where are we going?" Clementine asked.

"To Rebecca and Alvin. They're a couple of friends of mine. I'll have Rebecca look after you and get you into some clean clothes while I go talk to Bill." Luke said.

"Okay…" Clementine said.

Luke continued to walk with the young girl as she looked around to all of the sights. There were some guards that gave her a dirty look, but others seemed friendly. Plus, the hardware store seemed to have been in the middle of being transformed into a survivor shelter.

"Did you guys just find this place recently?" Clementine asked.

"No… it's just been one heck of a move. The last few months, we've had to deal with walkers and bandits, but now… it's manageable. Killed every last bandit in the area and the walkers are not as much of a threat as they used to be." Luke said. He released a sigh and he said, "Still… we lost a lot of people."

Clementine frowned and she said, "I'm sorry, Luke."

"Hey… It's alright. The way I see it, you've had a harder time out there than all of us." Luke said.

Clementine nodded her head. She wished that wasn't true. However, she was thankful that Luke and Tavia had found her. If they hadn't, she might be dead by now. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Luke. "Hey Rebecca." Luke said.

Clementine looked up to see a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. She wore a grey long sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. "Luke…" The woman said. She looked to Clementine and she smiled. "Now who's this cutie?" Rebecca asked as she crouched down to Clementine's eye level. The young girl frowned and looked away.

"Her name's Clementine… She's been through a lot. Lost everyone. I was wondering if you could keep an eye on her for me and maybe get her cleaned up." Luke said.

"Sure… I'd be happy to…" Rebecca said and she stood upright. She offered her hand to Clementine. "Come on… let's get you cleaned up."

Clementine was hesitant, but she did eventually take Rebecca's hand. Luke took his leave and Clementine looked back to him.

"He'll be back… Probably has to fill Bill on how he found you." Rebecca said.

Clementine nodded and she said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Rebecca said. She hummed as she looked to the child. "I think I can find you a nice little dress for you to wear. Do you like dresses?"

"Yeah… I'm um… I'm mixed. I'm mostly a girly-girl, but I like some tom-boy things." Clementine said.

"That's good." Rebecca said. "So how old are you sweetie?"

"I'm nine." Clementine said.

"Nine? Wow… you look younger. I thought you were eight." Rebecca said.

Clementine smiled in response as Rebecca led her past a couple of rooms. She liked talking to Rebecca. It was like talking to Katjaa or even… her own mother. She frowned at that thought and she shook her head to focus. "Yeah… I'm a bit tiny." Clementine said.

Rebecca chuckled and she said, "No sweetie. You're fun-size."

"Fun-size… I like that." Clementine said.

"Yup… you're big enough to cause maximum chaos and small enough to squeeze through small openings to run away." Rebecca said.

Clementine giggled and she said, "That's what I like to do best."

Rebecca chuckled as she led Clementine to one of the rooms. Rebecca helped Clementine onto the bed before she looked through the clothes. Clementine looked around the room as the minutes ticked by.

"Alright… you'll have to wear one of my sweatshirts until we can go on a run and get you some cleaner clothes. Your tights and flats look okay enough to wear." Rebecca said as she examined an orange hooded sweatshirt.

"Okay." Clementine said.

Rebecca walked over to Clementine and took off her dress. She replaced the dirty dress with the orange hooded sweatshirt.

"That feels better." Clementine said

"I bet. You lived down in Georgia, right?" Rebecca asked.

Clementine nodded her head. "This weather must be freezing for you." Rebecca said.

"Yeah… it's pretty cold up here." Clementine said. "Where are we anyway?"

"We're in Tennessee." Rebecca said.

"Whoa… I… I never been that far away from home before." Clementine said.

"Don't worry hon. You'll get used to it." Rebecca said. "Come on. I think you'll have a lot of fun with Sarah. I have to be looking after her anyway." She got up and led Clementine out of the room.

Clementine was still fascinated by all the new sights that the hardware store provided, but she was more interested in this Sarah person that Rebecca mentioned. "Who's Sarah?" Clementine asked.

"She's a friendly little girl, like you." Rebecca said. "Her father, Carlos, has me watch her so she can feel more… secure. She lost her mother when all of this happened. To make matters worse, she has anxiety problems."

Clementine was confused by what Rebecca meant. "What does that mean?" Clementine asked.

"She… has a hard time coping in tense situations. She doesn't handle scary situations well." Rebecca said.

"So… I guess she doesn't know about the walkers?" Clementine asked.

"Walkers?" Rebecca asked. Her eyes widened and she said, "Oh… those walking corpses… Yeah she only knows a little bit about them. We just tell her that the world is bad now. Bill doesn't like it, but she's Carlos's kid. He's raised and he has final say."

Clementine nodded in response. Rebecca led Clementine to a teenage girl. She wore a long sleeve black shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. She also wore a pair of red rimmed glasses. "Hey Sarah. This is Clementine. Could you play with her?"

Sarah looked up from her book and she smiled. "Sure." The girl said. "Come on. There's some board games that we can play."

She seemed very friendly. "Sure." Clementine said with a smile.

"Cool. Come on." Sarah said. She took the younger girl's hand and led her into one of the bedrooms. "Okay… let's play Monopoly. I like that game."

Clementine smiled and she said, "Sure."

"Awesome." Sarah said. She started to set up the game money, player pieces, and cards. Clementine smiled. She kept thinking that everything was looking up for her, but there was this nagging voice in the back of her head as she played Monopoly with Sarah. It was clear. She had to get strong even if she was safe within Howe's, she knew that it would change. She had to at least get strong enough to handle herself in situation.

… **To be continued.**


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING: This fic will NOT be censored.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"Clementine… Clementine, it's your turn." Sarah said.

Clementine shook her head out of her thoughts and she said, "Oh right… sorry…" Clementine said. She rolled the dice and moved her piece to one of the properties that Sarah had. She gave twenty dollars of the play money to Sarah while still being lost in thought.

"Are you okay? You seem distracted…" Sarah said.

"I um…" Clementine said. "Sarah, I… I think I need to get stronger."

"What do you mean?' Sarah asked.

"I mean that I need to go out there. Learn how to solve problems with those things and people." Clementine said as she stood up from her seated position. "I shouldn't be sitting here and playing a game. My guardian, Lee, lost his life because I was too stupid, and now, if I die, his sacrifice will be in vain." Her voice got progressively louder as she spoke.

"I don't understand." Sarah said. She seemed almost afraid of her. "Why would you want to deal with those things? They're scary."

Clementine huffed to calm down and she said, "I have to. I'm going to go back out there."

"Can we at least finish our game?" Sarah asked.

Clementine shook her head and she said, "I'm sorry… but this is very important." She walked away from the teenager as she started to whimper. Clementine did feel bad for her, but she knew that she had to do this.

* * *

After looking around for a while, Clementine soon found Rebecca. She was talking to Luke and a bigger man. The man seemed very strong, but at the same time, he seemed nice. "Well, look who's back." Luke said.

Rebecca turned around and she smiled. "Hey sweetie, did you have fun with Sarah?"

Clementine nodded her head in response with a serious look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Rebecca asked.

"I… um… I can't just stay in here and play board games all day. I need to go out there to get stronger." Clementine said.

The adults frowned at that. Rebecca crouched down to her eye level and she said, "Sweetie, I know it was rough out there for you, but you're safe now. You don't need to do any of that."

"No… you're wrong. My guardian, Lee, lost his life because of me." Clementine explained. "If I die, then his sacrifice will be in vain."

"Clementine, you don't have to worry about that, alright." Luke said. "Look, you're safe in here, and there's no immediate threats coming our way."

"What happens when this place falls?" Clementine asked. "What if I'm out there all by myself and I don't have a gun."

Rebecca stood up from talking to Clementine and she looked to Luke and the big man. "We'll talk about it." Rebecca said. "For now… you just take it easy."

Clementine nodded and she said, "Okay." She was satisfied with that answer and gave a smile to the adults.

"HEY!" A new voice was heard. Clementine jumped from the loud shout. She never liked yelling. That was why she was a 'good kid'. She didn't like being yelled at so she did her best to avoid it, by being as nice as possible.

She turned around and saw a man with flannel shirt approach her. "You want to explain to me why my daughter is crying!" The man exclaimed as he stared Clementine down.

"Carlos, take it easy on her… She just arrived today." Luke said.

"I don't care! She made my daughter cry, and instead of apologizing for it, she walked away!" The man, Carlos, said.

"I… I'm sorry…" Clementine said as she started to whimper. She was scared.

"You need to go tell her that! Not me!" Carlos snapped.

"CARLOS!" Rebecca snapped while Clementine started to cry. Rebecca squatted down and picked up Clementine. The girl let out a surprised squeak. "Sh… it's okay." Rebecca said in a calm and motherly voice.

There was a huff from behind. "I'm sorry… I… I overreacted… I'm just trying to protect Sarah." Carlos said.

"Yeah, by taking it out on some kid. That makes a whole lot of sense." Rebecca snapped at the man.

"Honey…" The big man said.

"No." Rebecca said. Clementine felt movement. She must have shrugged off the man. "You can apologize to her later when I get her to calm down." Rebecca snapped at Carlos. She then stormed off with Clementine in her arms. Once again, Clementine felt bad. Not only did she make Sarah cry, but now, she was driving a wedge between Rebecca and her friends.

* * *

Half an hour had passed. Rebecca still had Clementine on her lap. The small nine year old actually did enjoy being comforted and cuddling with Rebecca. She missed doing it with her own mother. "You okay, baby?" Rebecca asked as she rubbed the child's back.

"I'm sorry…" Clementine said. "I just… I don't like yelling. And now I'm putting a wedge between you and Carlos."

"Baby, none of that was your fault." Rebecca said. She released a huff and she said, "I'm sorry I didn't warn you of Carlos. He… He's been overprotective of Sarah since the very beginning. He lost his wife when all of this happened. Sarah was devastated when it all happened. In fact, I became a mother figure to her… Sarah's gotten better but she's still afraid of everything. As a result, Carlos has stepped up and started to snap at anyone who gets near her… aside from me, Alvin, Luke, Reggie, Connie, and Pete."

"I didn't mean to make her sad. I just wanted to get strong for Lee." Clementine said.

"…I'm sorry…" Sarah squeaked. Clementine looked over to the teenager who was staring from the doorway. "I… I didn't want my dad to yell at you… I just thought you were going to leave… and well I'm the only kid around here and it gets really lonely. So, I didn't want you to leave."

"It's okay. I wasn't going to leave permanently. I was just going out there to get stronger. I would have been back." Clementine said.

"Oh… Sorry… I thought you were leaving for good." Sarah said.

"It's okay… there was just a bit of miscommunication." Rebecca said.

They could hear footsteps approaching. Sarah turned her head and she said, "Hey dad. Clementine and I are still friends."

"That's great sweetie. How about you go to the room and find a board game that you two can play?" Carlos said as he reached the doorway.

Clementine curled up in a ball out of fear of the doctor while Rebecca gave her a pat on the back. "It's okay." The woman whispered.

Sarah ran off to find a board game while Carlos entered the room. "Clementine, I'm sorry that I yelled at you. There was some miscommunication from my daughter, and I thought you hurt her… Bullies are nothing new for her. She was bullied a lot when she was in school… and I thought that you were no different. I won't assume anymore." Clementine relaxed and she looked up to the man.

"Do you forgive him, honey?" Rebecca asked the child on her lap.

"…Yeah." Clementine said.

"Good. Thank you. If you are going to be my daughter's friend… just be nice to her." Carlos said.

"I will." Clementine said. She couldn't help but be afraid of the man.

Carlos turned and walked out of the room. "Okay sweetie. How about you go play with Sarah for a little while?" Rebecca said. "Dinner should be ready soon. You come sit next to me and Alvin. He's my husband. You saw him back there with Luke."

"Okay. He seems nice." Clementine said as she got down from Rebecca's lap.

"He is. That man's got one of the biggest hearts I know. Kind of funny when you think about it. He's pretty strong looking, but deep down, he's just a big ole teddy bear." Rebecca said.

Clementine nodded and she said, "Lee was really nice."

"I bet he was." Rebecca said.

"I was his first kid… at least when it came to looking after someone." Clementine said.

"Really? Any prior experience?" Rebecca asked.

Clementine shook her head. "Nope but he did really good job. I asked him if he would ever have kids. He told me that someday he would… He wanted a little girl… like me."

"He sounds like a wonderful person. I'm sure that he would be happy to know that you're safe." Rebecca said.

"Yeah..." Clementine said. She was surprised when she noticed that she wasn't as sad when she thought about Lee as she was earlier. In fact, talking about him made her happy. It made her remember the good times with him.

"I think you're over the mourning process with Lee." Rebecca said.

"Yeah… I hope so…" Clementine said.

"Only time will tell. If you ever need someone to talk to, you come to me, okay?" Rebecca said.

"Okay." Clementine said with a smile.

"Alright, go play with Sarah." Rebecca said.

Clementine nodded before she ran to the door. She left the room to go find Sarah.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke was in front of the small group. It had taken awhile for him to adjust to having people being around him, but after a couple of hours, he was comfortable around Christa and Omid. Christa had spent the last few hours crying over Clementine's disappearance. Her attitude wasn't much better. She was tense and angry.

"It's my fault… I should have gone with him." Christa said. "If I had, we could have gotten Clementine back together and she would be right here with us."

"Christa, we did the best we could do." Omid said. "Lee was lucky that he got through that herd."

"Herd?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah… Lee was bit, but somehow he cut a path through a part of that herd in Savannah." Omid said.

Zeke's eyes widened and he said, "Incredible…"

"Yeah… Still not sure how he did it." Omid said.

"But somehow he did… otherwise we wouldn't have had a trail to follow." Christa said. "So, how long have you been on your own?"

"Three weeks…" Zeke said.

"I guess your parents didn't look after you?" Omid asked.

Zeke scoffed and he said, "No… Not sure what happened to mom… Probably got her face chewed off. I killed my dad."

Both adults were a bit disturbed by how the boy acted. It's like he didn't care about either. "Why would you kill your dad? Was he a walker?" Christa asked.

"Nope. He was an asshole, and I wanted him to die." Zeke said.

"Damn… I mean… What did he do to make you go over the edge and literally kill him?" Omid said.

Zeke sighed and he said, "He was about to hurt someone I cared about… He wasn't my dad… He was some drunkard who happened to live with me… He would beat on me every day, swear at me… Just all sorts of shit… So I felt no remorse for what I did. Hell, I wish I would have done it sooner."

Zeke turned to see that both adults were surprised by his actions. Zeke huffed and he said, "Come on… we better set up camp… It'll be dark soon."

"Yeah… okay." Omid said.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine was sitting between Rebecca and Alvin. She already liked Rebecca, and Alvin seemed nice enough. "How is it?" Alvin asked.

"Really good." Clementine said as she ate her food. She hadn't eaten anything like this in a long time. She was used to eating a granola bar and some raisins as her meal for the day. She was used to food scraps, not a whole meal.

Clementine continued to eat while the group socialized around her. It almost felt like the walkers had never existed. She hadn't been around company like this in ages.

"Hey… Bill wants to see you." A man said as he approached Clementine.

Clementine was nervous, but she got up anyway. "Maybe I should-" Luke started to say but the man interrupted him.

"Maybe you should shut your fucking mouth." The man snapped. He looked back to Clementine and he said, "Come on. Don't piss me off."

"Troy!" Another man snapped. He seemed rather intimidating. "The fuck are you doing?"

"Getting her like Bill asked. They're making it difficult." Troy said.

"And that means you can start throwing a fit and making a scene?" The man inquired. Troy growled as he looked down. "That's what I thought. Stupid jackass. Now get her up to Bill before you screw that up too." He turned and stomped away.

"Fucking son of a bitch…" Troy muttered. "Come on." He snapped at Clementine. Clementine followed Troy up to Bill's office. She didn't like being around him. He was short-tempered, mean, and swore like a sailor.

They went into the office. It seemed rather organized. Bill sat behind a desk and he gestured Clementine to sit in one of the chairs. "Hello Clementine." Bill said. "Have a seat."

Clementine walked over and sat down in the chair in front of Carver's desk. "So… I heard that you wanted to go out there and get stronger. Is that right?" Bill said.

"Yes… Someone saved my life, but it cost him his own. If I die, then his sacrifice will be in vain. I have to learn more on survival… and the only way to do that is by…" Clementine said and she trailed off.

"…By a hands-on approach." Bill said. "I see… very well… Luke will be allowed to go out there with you along with Tyler who will track your progress."

"Why do you want to track my progress?" Clementine asked.

"Hey, you just shut up and do what he tells you!" Troy snapped at Clementine. It made the girl jump a bit.

Bill made a gesture for him to calm down. "The child is curious, Troy. Nothing wrong with that. Now… I don't want to hear anymore outbursts from you." Bill said. There was no reply from Troy. Bill turned back to Clementine and he said, "I keep records on everything. If I heard that there was a new settlement developing near mine… well you better believe that I would send someone to go check it out. And if there was someone in these walls who said that they could improve our way of living or take on an endeavor of their own… I would send someone to keep an eye on them. As leader, it's my job to know what everyone is doing in these walls and to make sure we have no immediate threats out there."

"I guess I can understand that." Clementine said.

"Good. We're done for now. You can go and rejoin Luke and his friends." Bill said.

Clementine nodded and stood up from the chair. She walked out of the office while feeling Bill's gaze on her. As always, she didn't feel very comfortable with him watching her.

She walked down the stairs of the office and walked back over to the group. "Hey… you alright?" Luke asked.

"Yeah… he just wanted to talk to me about training tomorrow." Clementine said

"Training?" Connie asked.

"Yeah. I want to learn how to defend myself better when I'm out there." Clementine said.

Connie's eyes widened and she said, "No way. Absolutely not. You are not going back out there."

"Con, this is her decision. You can't force her to stay in here." Pete said.

"I'm an adult. She has no choice but to listen to me." Connie said.

"I have to get stronger. If I don't, then I let everyone in my old group down. They're all either dead or missing." Clementine said.

"You're just a child. You shouldn't have to do this." Connie said.

"There's a lot of things I shouldn't do but have to. This is just one of those things." Clementine said.

"Don't worry. I'll be there to help her tomorrow." Luke said.

"Okay…" Connie said in a defeated tone of voice.

Clementine went back to eating her dinner as she listened in on the conversations among the group members. They seemed more tightly knit that her old group. Of course, her old group fought constantly because of the conditions that they were in. This group had it made since they were in a strong community with plenty of resources. As the conversation continued, she even smiled a couple of times.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: Connie is not an OC… She's Nick's mom… We never got a name from Telltale.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys… Sorry about not updating as frequently… I've been pretty busy with school work and life.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

It was morning as Clementine followed Luke and Tyler to the supposed shooting ground. Neither really told her what the place was called. She was thankful that she was no longer swimming in a sweatshirt and was now wearing a new dress and sweatshirt that actually fit her.

"You look more comfortable." Luke said.

"Yeah… I like dresses." Clementine said.

"I guess you're more of a girly-girl then." Luke said.

"Yeah… I guess I am… Still I like playing with Legos every once in a while, and I can play rough… even though I don't always like that." Clementine said.

They walked out of the forest and into the open field. Clementine looked around to see a monument in the center with worn walls surrounding it.

"What is this place?" Clementine asked.

"Parker's Run. We use this place for shooting drills." Luke said. "Have you ever used a gun?"

Clementine nodded her head and she said, "Yeah, Lee taught me. I've killed a walker before."

"Wow… well that's good. You already know how this works then." Luke said. He gave her a handgun before he walked over to a stand. He placed a glass bottle on it and went back over. "Alright we'll start off easy then make it more challenging as you go." Luke said. "You just have to shoot the bottle."

Clementine nodded her head and she aimed the gun at the bottle. Everything that Lee taught her came back. She held her breath for hundredths of a second before firing the gun. The bullet smashed the bottle to pieces.

"Whoa… Definitely ain't your first time." Luke said.

Clementine nodded and lowered her gun. Luke walked over and placed another bottle on the stand. He walked back over and had Clementine walk back so that she would have to shoot from further away. "Alright. See if you can shoot it now." Luke said.

Clementine nodded and aimed her gun at the bottle. Again she took in a breath and fired. The bottle smashed to pieces like the one before it.

Clementine proceeded to shoot the bottles from further and further away until they were near the forest's edge. She missed the bottle a couple of times until she shook her head. "I don't think I can hit it from here." Clementine said.

"Well… that certainly is a promising start. We're about forty feet away." Luke said.

"And you only missed four times." Tyler said.

"So what now." Clementine asked.

"Well, let's say you don't have a gun. You think you can do kills up close?" Luke asked.

"I… I've only killed one up close and it was pinned down." Clementine said.

"Well… would you want to try one that's coming at you?" Luke asked.

Clementine contemplated on whether she would want to, but in the end, she knew that she had to. She couldn't limit herself to killing walkers with a handgun. Ammunition was rare and it was best to know how to use other weapons. She nodded her head as an indication that she would like to learn.

"Alright. Here." Luke said as he pulled out a knife. He gave it to Clementine and took the gun back. "So… you have a unique advantage and disadvantage. Your height makes you hard to grab, but it also works against you since the only way to kill a lurker is if you go for the head. So, here's what you need to do. You can either kick the knee inward which will make the bone break or stab the knife through a lurker's knee. You just have to make sure that you can retrieve your knife. After that, you stab it in the head."

"Okay… I think I'm ready…" Clementine said.

"Good… because we got some heading toward us." Tyler said. Clementine and Luke looked around until they noticed some walker limping toward them. They were coming from the opposite side of the clearing.

"Okay kid… whenever you're ready… I'll be right behind you if you need help." Luke said.

"Okay… thanks." Clementine said. She got her knife ready and she approached one of the walkers. The walker had its arms out to grab her, but she avoided its arms and kicked the walker's leg in. She heard the bone crack and the walker fell onto the ground. Clementine finished it by stabbing the walker in the head. She pulled the knife out with a slight huff. She wasn't tired. If anything, she was stunned at how well killed the walker.

"Damn…" Tyler muttered.

Clementine turned around and saw another walker approaching her. She jumped back from its arms and got behind it to stab the creature in the back of the knee. The creature fell with a growl and tried to reach for Clementine but to no avail. Clementine pulled the knife out and stabbed the walker in the skull.

She heard a walker from behind her. She turned around to see a walker over her. However, the creature stopped when a blade hit it. It fell to the ground while Luke pulled the blade out of its skull. "You alright?"

Clementine nodded in response. "Okay… come on… We're out of time." Luke said. "I think you've had plenty of training today." Once again, Clementine nodded, and she took the man's hand. She looked up and waited from him to lead her back to Howe's.

Luke obliged, and he went over to Tyler. "Let's go." Luke said.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Tyler said. The three ran back to Howe's while the slow moving herd tried to follow them.

* * *

The three reached the outside walls of Howe's. Bill was there to meet them. He had his arms crossed over his chest. "So… how'd it go?" Bill asked.

"Kid's a pro. Her max range with a handgun is forty feet. Killed two walkers with a knife." Tyler said.

A smile formed on Bill's face. "Excellent." Bill said. He looked to Clementine and he said, "Now, more than ever, I recognize you as an invaluable member to our community."

"What do you mean, Bill?" Luke asked with a skeptical stare.

"She isn't weak." Bill said. "Children are either dead or pampered, but she's special. She knows what it takes to survive. She has the skill, now she needs the attitude."

"Attitude?" Luke asked.

Bill huffed and he said, "This world is tough. It's all about survival out here. Kill or be killed."

"She's just a little girl, Bill." Luke said. "I mean for crying out loud… she doesn't look a day over eight."

"Actually, I'm nine." Clementine said.

"Not now, Clem." Luke said.

"Luke, I don't like how things are going either, but if we want to survive this. The next generation has to be stronger than the last." Bill said.

"Okay… that's fine. But she's already tough enough. She knows how to handle the lurkers out here." Luke said.

"Luke, people don't die from lurkers… the number of people who do die from lurkers are insignificant… It's people that kill people… That's what she needs to learn in this world." Bill said. He looked to Clementine and he asked. "Tell me… How many people have you killed?"

Clementine frowned and she said, "I killed one person…"

"Oh? How?" Bill asked.

"He… He got bit… because of me." Clementine said. She started to whimper as painful memories filled her head.

Bill sighed and he said, "And here I thought you had potential…"

Clementine heard footsteps going away from her. She opened her eyes with tears falling down them. Bill went back inside with Tyler following behind him.

"You okay, Clem? You want to go to Rebecca?" Luke asked.

Clementine nodded her head in response. "Please… Why was he mean?"

"I don't know, Clem… I just don't know…" Luke said with a frown. He escorted the young girl inside to find Rebecca. It wasn't long until they found the woman.

Rebecca smiled at Clementine and she said, "Hey sweetheart."

Clementine looked to the woman with scared eyes before she ran to hug her. "Oh… honey." Rebecca said. She tried to comfort the child who started to whimper and shake. "What happened?"

"Bill happened. He wants her to consider killing people… He even asked her if she's ever killed anyone. It reminded her of Lee." Luke said.

"Aw sweetie." Rebecca said. She picked up the small nine year old and held her. "It's okay honey. You have to remember that Lee died to save you. He didn't die because of you." Clementine just rested her head on Rebecca's shoulder as a response. "You tired, baby?"

"She might be… Been a long day." Luke said.

"How was she?" Rebecca asked.

"She was good. Listened very well." Luke said. "She has max range of forty feet with a handgun. She'll get better over time."

"That's good. I'm sure Lee would be proud of that." Rebecca said. Clementine smiled a little at the woman's words as her eyes started to close shut. She couldn't help it. She felt safe and at peace with herself when Rebecca held her. Eventually, her eyes closed shut.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke sat at the campfire with Christa and Omid. It was quiet. Zeke hadn't opened up much over the past few days. "There has to be someone there for you." Christa said.

"There was…" Zeke said with a frown. He sighed and he said, "Well… I haven't moved on since… I lost my little brother…"

"Oh…" Christa said.

"He was killed about a month ago… Some psycho held us up and was waving a gun around. I tried to keep him safe, but… it was useless. That psycho killed him anyway… I thought he was going to kill me too, but instead he said that he was happy to see me suffer and mourn. So, he left. After that… I chase him down for revenge. I made his life a living hell. I took his food, his water, and then his life." Zeke said.

"Damn…" Omid said.

"I was glad that I avenged my little brother." Zeke said.

"But was it worth it?" Christa asked.

"Hell yeah… I avenged my brother and killed some psycho who would have gone off to kill more people." Zeke said. "The rules of this world is kill or be killed."

"Look, I know the world is bad, but there is some good left in it." Christa said. "You could have very well killed us the night you came in the house that we were in, but you didn't."

Zeke sighed and he said, "Yeah… I guess you're right."

"You gave us a chance…" Omid said.

"The only reason I gave you a chance is because you were talking about Clementine…" Zeke said.

"So you haven't given up on people." Christa said.

"Of course I haven't given up… I just… I feel like I let Decker down…" Zeke said.

"Was that your brother's name?" Christa asked.

Zeke sighed and he said, "Yeah… I practically raised him since my mom left to climb the corporate ladder and my dad was an abusive drunk."

"That's awful…" Christa said with a frown.

"It is what it is… or was… I don't know where my mom is now… She's probably dead, and now my abusive drunkard dad and my little brother are dead." Zeke said.

"I'm sorry…" Christa said.

"Yeah… that's rough." Omid said.

Zeke huffed and he said, "Thanks. I think I just need some time to myself. I'll take first watch." He got up and walked away from the couple. He sat down a few feet away and looked out to the forest. He kept pondering on their words. It was obvious that they have had it as rough as him, but they were still sympathetic. He was nothing special anymore. Everyone has lost someone including Christa and Omid. Perhaps, all this time, he just needed someone to be sympathetic for him so he could move on.

 **Clementine's POV**

Days became weeks at Howe's. Clementine had learned who was nice and who she needed to stay away from. She had maintained her training which involved knife training and shooting drills. She had improved quite a bit thanks to Luke who instructed her.

Plus, Rebecca and Alvin had become parent figures for her. Both were nice and kind to her. Plus, if she ever got upset, she would go to one of them for comfort. They would also tuck her in at night. They were like a mom and dad to her.

Finally, there was Sarah. Despite the fact that she was older, she behaved like a kid. She acted as her playmate and reading buddy. She had quite a collection of books. For the first time in a long time, Clementine felt at peace. She was sad that she hadn't seen Omid and Christa, but she was happy to be around so many good people.

Clementine yawned and stretched as she woke up to another day. Today was her off day. She wasn't going to go outside and do training. Instead, she went over to the make-shift cafeteria to get something to eat.

* * *

"Hey, there she is." Rebecca said with a kind tone of voice. Clementine smiled in response and she went over to join Rebecca and Alvin. Alvin helped her up so that she could sit between him and Rebecca. "Thanks Alvin." Clementine said. She was still rather small for her age and needed help to climb over the bench to sit down on it.

"You're welcome, honey." Alvin said.

"How'd you sleep?" Rebecca asked.

"Good. I'm doing a lot better now." Clementine said.

"That's good." Rebecca said.

Clementine looked to the food in front of her and began to eat. It was steamed vegetables, applesauce, and some cereal in a bowl. It tasted good though the cereal was a bit stale.

"Well… Bill wants me to go out and do a run with Tyler and Lowell today." Luke said.

"Good luck." Alvin said.

"Thanks… I'm going to need it." Luke said.

"So… what do you girls got planned today?" Rebecca asked Clementine and Sarah.

Clementine shrugged and she said, "I don't know. We're probably just going to read books and play board games."

"Sounds like fun, but maybe you ought to make some room in there to prank Nick." Connie said.

"What! No way!" Nick said.

"Now that's a good idea." Rebecca said.

The two girls smirked in response. "I guess we could make room in our schedule to annoy Nick." Clementine said.

"No… You don't have to do that. I'll pass." Nick said.

"Too late." Sarah chimed in.

"Dammit…" Nick muttered.

The adults chuckled in response before they went back to enjoying their meal. Rebecca looked to Clementine and she said, "But in all seriousness, I'd like to talk to you after we're done eating."

Clementine looked to the woman with a curious stare and she asked, "Okay… Am I in trouble?"

"No, of course not." Rebecca said. "Alvin and I just need to talk to you."

"Okay." Clementine said. She went back to eating while wondering what Alvin and Rebecca were going to talk to her about.

Once the group was done eating, Alvin and Rebecca had Clementine follow them. Despite her small size, it was easier for her to get off the bench than to get on. The three walked away from the other group members until they arrived in one of the bedrooms.

"Clementine, we've known each other for a long time and well… Alvin and I were wondering if you'd like for us to adopt you?" Rebecca asked.

A huge grin formed on Clementine's face and she said, "I'd love that!"

"Really?" Rebecca asked.

Clementine nodded her head and she said, "I've felt really lonely since I lost Lee and my first parents. I really want new parents and well… I think you guys are really nice to me and you comforted me when I was sad."

"I know we did honey, but we do want you to be sure on something like this." Alvin said.

"I am. I want a mommy and daddy again, and I love you guys." Clementine said.

"Okay, baby. We love you too." Rebecca said. She pulled the young girl in for a hug. Clementine hugged her back before Rebecca released her from the hug. Alvin crouched down and hugged the girl next.

"We'll do our best to look after you." Alvin said.

"Okay, I'll do my best to be good." Clementine said.

"Just keep being you." Rebecca said. "I haven't had to scold you once."

Clementine nodded in response as her new adoptive father released her from the hug. It felt good to have parents again. They were new people for her to look up.

"Okay baby. Go play with Sarah. Come get me or daddy if you need anything." Rebecca said.

"I will, mommy." Clementine said with an ecstatic smile. She already enjoyed having adoptive parents. She knew that she would have to cherish them. She still felt a bit guilty for her first parents. She wished that she could tell them that she loved them one more time. Clementine pushed that thought aside and ran off to join Sarah.

She joined the older girl who noticed her huge grin. "What's up Clem? You seem very happy." Sarah said.

"I am." Clementine said. "Rebecca and Alvin adopted me. I have a mommy and daddy again."

Sarah smiled and she said, "That's awesome Clem. You're going to love having them as your mommy and daddy. They're really good people. Rebecca's been a mother figure to me since my mom died and Alvin's one of the nicest people I know."

Clementine smiled and nodded her head. "So what are we playing today?" Clementine asked.

"Hmm… how about we start off with some Monopoly?" Sarah asked.

"Yuck…" Clementine muttered. "Math in the form of a game."

"Oh come on. It's not that bad." Sarah said. "It could be Yahtzee."

"Yuck… yeah that's worse." Clementine said. Once again, Sarah set up the game while Clementine picked a gaming piece.

 **A/N: I have to admit that it is nice to see Clementine act like a kid again. Plus, she now has an adoptive mother and father. I've wanted to do this for a long time.** **I don't know why, but when playing Season 2 of the game, I could see this family relationship going on… You have the option to plead with Alvin in Episode 1, and he acted like a father figure during that short period of time, Rebecca slowly warmed up to Clementine, and Luke was almost like an older brother to Clementine. I don't know about the rest of you, but that's what I've noticed. As you can see in this story, nothing has changed. Rebecca is nice toward Clementine since she's not completely stressed out about Carver chasing her, and Clementine is younger and acts more like a kid.**

 **As for Zeke, well… we're getting there.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

 **Months Later**

Zeke watched a flock of crows fly off as he trailed behind Christa and Omid. Both had changed quite a bit since he met them. Neither was as depressed about Clementine; however, he could tell that they thought about her and their former group at least once a day. He was thankful that they had a sense of humor; it certainly helped the atmosphere in the little group. Plus, as expected, Christa was late in her pregnancy which made them even happier

"Omid, you can't be serious?" Christa said.

"But I am." Omid said.

"We are not doing that." Christa said. Zeke joined them to see them analyzing a nearby rest stop for any movement.

"Why not?" Omid asked.

"Because." Christa said with a chuckled before she got up. She walked out to the middle of the road with Omid walking alongside her and Zeke walked behind the couple.

"Come on Christa. What's wrong with Omid?" Omid said.

"We're not naming our baby, Omid. One of you is enough." Christa said. "Zeke, a little help here?" They walked closer and closer to the restrooms.

"Think about it." Omid said. "Omid the Second."

"No." Christa said.

"Omid Junior." Omid said.

"No." Christa said.

"What if it's girl?" Zeke asked.

"Then we'll name her Christa." Omid said.

"But I'm Christa. I don't want to name her that. That's just confusing." Christa said.

"Then name her Genevieve. I don't care." Omid said.

"How can you not care?" Christa asked. They arrived at the bathrooms and Zeke looked out to the surrounding forest while listening to the couple's banter. "You're not taking this seriously." Christa said.

"I take everything seriously including Little Omid's future." Omid said with a smirk.

"Keep talking like that and you'll be sleeping out in the rain. Remember that time in Barstow?" Christa said with a smirk

"Vegas weekend." Omid said. Christa went to the woman's restroom and turned to Omid with a stare. If it could talk, it would have said, 'Follow me.'

Zeke shook his head and he said, "I'm going to go clean up in the guy's room." He went to the door to the men's restroom.

"Okay dude." Omid said. "Be careful."

Zeke entered the restroom and he looked around with his bow and arrow at the ready. There was a foul odor in the place. "The hell…" Zeke muttered. "Did someone play finger painting with their own shit?" It didn't take long for him to find the stall that had feces splattered on the wall and toilet seat. "That's not right…" Zeke muttered as he closed the stall door.

He went over to the sink and placed his backpack on it. He rummaged through the backpack until he found a water bottle and a bandanna. He used the water from the water bottle to wet the bandanna so he could clean his face. Once he finished, he looked to the busted mirror to see that the dirt and grime was gone.

He placed his supplies back inside his backpack until he heard the door opening. Zeke stopped and he listened in on the sound of light footsteps. He could tell that someone was sneaking up on him. He went to grab his bow, but he was stopped by a voice. "Don't f****** move or I will blow your head off." A teenage girl said.

Zeke huffed and he said, "What do you want?"

"I want everything you have, and no funny business." The girl snapped.

Zeke took his bag and tossed it to the girl. "Give me that bow too." The girl demanded.

Zeke obliged and he tossed the bow and quiver full of arrows to the ground. He could hear the girl rummaging through the supplies that he had. It was now his opportunity to take control of the situation. He pulled out his knife and readied himself to attack the girl. He turned around as the girl looked up. He knew that she sounded older. She appeared to be in her late teens.

"Did I say you can turn around?" The girl snapped.

"Do you think I care?" Zeke snapped back.

The girl glared at him and she stood up. "You do not want to mess with me." The girl said she placed the gun to his forehead. She made the mistake of getting too close to him.

"You've already made the fatal mistake of messing with me." Zeke said. He took the knife that he held behind his back and stabbed the girl in the leg. She let out a wail as Zeke pulled knife out and stabbed her in the chest. The gun dropped to the ground. Zeke dragged the knife across her body and pulled it out. She spat out blood while blood poured out on the ground.

Zeke holstered the knife as the teenager fell back. He showed no remorse as the door opened.

"My gosh…." Christa said.

"Zeke? You alright, bud?" Omid asked.

"Just another scavenger." Zeke said. He went over and picked up his backpack, bow, quiver, and the girl's gun. "Here." Zeke said as he gave the gun to the couple.

"Keep it." Christa said.

Zeke shook his head and he said, "I hate guns. They're too loud. They attract too many walkers."

"And what about people?" Christa asked. "People like her…"

Zeke frowned and he said, "I guess I see your point. Alright…" Zeke said. He placed the gun in his backpack and looked to the two adults. They were staring at the dying girl.

"What should we do with her?" Omid asked.

"I don't care…" Zeke said.

Christa sighed and she said, "I'll end it. You guys wait for me outside."

"Okay." Omid said.

"A waste of a bullet if you ask me." Zeke muttered.

He walked out of the restroom before either adult could question him. He leaned against the wall of the restroom as he waited for Omid to join him and for Christa to finish off the girl.

Omid walked out of the bathroom and he said, "Hey… are you alright?"

"I'm fine… I just really hate scavengers." Zeke said.

A gunshot was heard from within the bathroom. Zeke stood upright and saw Christa exit the bathroom. "Let's go." Christa said.

Omid and Zeke obliged. They went further down the road. Zeke could tell that the two adults were a bit worried about him. He may have seemed dark back there but that was only because that scavenger holding him at gunpoint reminded him of the situation with his brother. He wasn't going to let it happen. He wasn't going to let the scavenger kill him. If that happened, then Decker died for nothing.

 **Clementine's POV**

Another day had passed for the young girl. She was now around the group of friends that she had come to know which included Luke, Connie, Pete, Sarah, and Reggie. Nick and Carlos were around even though Clementine wouldn't consider them friends. They were okay, but they've both had their moments. Nick was too hot-headed and short-tempered to be around at times. Still, he was fun to mess with. Carlos, on the other hand, still made her feel nervous. Ever since he freaked out on her, she has been trying to avoid him.

Her adoptive mother had her on her lap. She was busy combing and playing with her hair. Clementine had always enjoyed having her hair combed. It soothed her. She was surprised that she hadn't grown much. She was still rather small for her age.

The group members laughed over a joke that was said and Clementine said, "Mommy."

"Yes baby?" Rebecca asked.

"Will… Will I ever get tall?" Clementine asked.

The group members must have overheard what she asked since there were a few chuckles within the group.

"Nope, you're supposed to stay fun size forever." Rebecca said with a smirk.

"Darn…" Clementine muttered.

"Why do you want to get tall, Clem?" Luke asked.

Clementine shrugged in response. "I don't know… I just thought that I should have gotten taller when I turned nine. Isn't that how it works?"

"Well… look at me and Rebecca, Clem. We're both pretty short. I mean, I'll be at my tallest in four years." Sarah said.

"It's a gradual process, sweetie. Besides, you should enjoy being small. It doesn't last forever." Connie said.

"She's right, baby." Rebecca said. "When you're older, you won't be allowed to sit on my lap."

Clementine frowned and she said, "But I like to."

"I know… you're still little, so don't worry." Rebecca said as she finished putting Clementine's hair up with the hair ties. "There we go… you're all set for bed." She pulled the younger girl in closer to her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Clementine smiled and she cuddled into Rebecca. She didn't care that the other members were watching her. She enjoyed cuddling when she was younger, but when her fellow classmates started to make fun of her, she stopped, and she only grew further apart from her parents after that. She didn't want to make the same mistake again.

"She's adorable, Rebecca." Connie said.

"She is…" Rebecca said with a smile. "She's just so wonderful. Luke, I'm so glad you found her. Someone like her shouldn't be out there in this world alone."

"Yeah… I'm glad I found her." Luke said.

The adults went back to talking about other things including their chores for tomorrow while Clementine drifted off to sleep.

 **Hours Later**

Clementine gasped as she woke up from a nightmare. It was about what happened to Lee, but it was worse. This time, he turned and bit her. She wasn't in any pain, but she was scared out of her mind during the bad dream.

"Clem." Alvin said. She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked to the bigger man with wide eyes.

"It's okay baby. It's just me." Alvin said.

"D-Daddy." Clementine said with a whimpering voice.

"Aw honey… Are you okay?" Alvin said.

"I… Can you please hold me?" Clementine asked.

"Sure baby." Alvin said. He picked up the child and sat down with her on his lap. She laid herself on his tummy as he rubbed her back. "Are you okay?" Alvin asked.

"That… That was a bad dream." Clementine said.

"Can you tell me what it was about?" Alvin asked.

"I… I was with Lee... when he was about to turn… He turned and he ate me…." Clementine said.

"Aw… I'm sorry baby." Alvin said. To her surprise, he picked her up and held her like she was an upset toddler, but to be fair, Alvin was tall as well as big and she was rather small for her age, so it didn't feel unnatural or uncomfortable. If anything, it felt good. Lee never did this for her. She sometimes wished that he would. She felt safe in Alvin's arms, like nothing could hurt her.

Eventually her eyes closed shut, and she went to sleep.

 **Zeke's POV**

A couple months had passed since the incident at the rest stop. Zeke kicked a walker in the leg which caused it to fall to the ground with a growl. He finished it by stabbing the creature in the head.

He turned around to see Christa panting while leaning against a tree. The baby was coming. "Hang on baby. We're almost there." Omid said.

Zeke turned back to the cabin and he went inside. He didn't have time to be careful or cautious. He went to several rooms within the house and killed the walkers within the rooms. All it took was for him to shoot an arrow into their skulls. There were about five walkers within the cabin.

Once he shot the last one, he rushed downstairs and heard pained screaming. It was Christa. "Shit…" Christa muttered.

"Hang on baby." Omid said. "Just push." Zeke noticed that Christa's pants were off and there was a blanket around her. Her pregnancy was coming to an end. He knew that the cabin would be overrun with walkers soon.

Christa screamed once again while Zeke pushed a nearby chair in front of the door. The screams and heavy breathing continued while Zeke pushed furniture against the doors and windows. The situation wasn't good. Zeke could tell that there was a decent gathering of walkers outside from the windows. A few of the windows smashed open as Zeke pulled out his knife. He knew that he couldn't waste his arrows on the walkers so he would have to wait for them to get close.

Finally, one last loud cry was heard within the abandoned cabin. It was followed by a fainter cry. Zeke turned to see Omid holding the new infant in his arms. "Hello… welcome to the world." Omid said to the tiny baby in his arms. He cleaned up the baby while Zeke looked around at the mayhem. The walkers could get in any minute.

He walked over to Omid who smiled. "It's a girl." Omid said with a smile.

Zeke smiled as well, but then he turned to Christa. He frowned. Her eyes were wide open and her chest wasn't moving. He got down and checked the woman. "Christa!" Omid exclaimed.

Zeke huffed and he shook his head. "She doesn't have a pulse…" She was dead. She died from child birth.

"No… There has to be something we can do… anything!" Omid exclaimed.

Zeke frowned and he said, "There isn't." There was a loud crash which caught Zeke's attention. The teenager groaned as he got to his feet. He ran over to kick an approaching walker down. The creature fell to the ground with a growl before he finished it off.

Zeke looked back to Omid, the baby, and the body of Christa. He ran back over and he said, "Omid… we need to go now!" Zeke said.

"I… I can't just leave her… not like this…" Omid said.

Zeke huffed and he said, "We'll do an informal funeral pyre." Zeke said. "The walkers won't eat her, we'll get a decent distraction, and we'll kill a lot of walkers."

Omid finally nodded and he got up. "Okay…"

"Alright. Go to the door in the kitchen and get out of here with her." Zeke said. Omid looked to his deceased wife one last time before he rushed to the back door in the kitchen. Zeke stabbed Christa in the head so that she wouldn't come back. Next, he took out an old oil lantern and broke it. He spread out the oil from the lantern to burn the cabin down. Finally, he took out a match and started a fire using the oil.

He could hear the walkers climb in and topple over the furniture. Zeke grumbled as the rug and wood fueled the blaze. He sighed and he turned to run as the fire grew. He ran out the back door and joined Omid and the infant who was crying. He knew that Omid would never be the same again.

The infant was wrapped in a blanket and cradled in his arms. "I… I can't believe that happened… The love of my life…." Omid said.

"I'm sorry Omid. There was nothing we could have done." Zeke said.

"Yeah…" Omid said. He walked forward into the dark forest with Zeke following next to him.

Despite all that happened, the baby in Omid's arms started to calm down. Soon, it was quiet.

… **To be continued.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So… it's going to be the Clementine show for a little while. We're slowly making our way into Season 2.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Rebecca was messing with Clementine's curly hair as the young girl sat on Rebecca's lap. She had hit a few growth spurts over the last year, but she was still small for her age. She now looked nine years old.

"So… what am I going to learn today?" Clementine asked. Over the course of the last couple of months, Clementine had been learning less on survival and more on being well-rounded in her knowledge. It helped that Sarah was around and gave her plenty of knowledge in reading and language thanks to the many books that she had, but she was still short in science, history, and math… She hated math, but her adoptive mother told her that math was very important.

"Well… after you're done with gun and knife training, we're going to look at exponents in math, astronomy in science, a little bit of the War of 1812, and we're going to discuss Artemis Fowl. Have you read that book?" Rebecca said.

Clementine smiled and she said, "Yeah, that's one of my favorite books."

The two were interrupted when Johnny came into the room. "Hey Rebecca… I hate to interrupt, but Tavia's back. She's got the new people with her."

"Okay… Thank you Johnny." Rebecca said. Johnny nodded and he left the room.

"Let's go meet the new people." Rebecca said.

Clementine smiled and nodded her head. She slipped off of Rebecca's lap and took her hand as they went down the hallway. They arrived in the hardware store and saw everyone in a circle aside from Troy and Lowell who were on watch.

They approached the group and heard a new voice.

"So… That's when Tavia found us." A man said. He appeared to be Asian-American. No doubt that he and his group were strong.

"Quite the story…" Bill said. "As the leader of this community, I welcome you."

"Thank you." The man said.

"Come… I believe that we have some things to discuss." Bill said as he led the man away from the group.

"So… this is it?" A girl from within the group asked.

"Becca." One of the woman said. She seemed to be related to the girl. She was probably a sister.

"Have to admit… this is better than what we've had since the beginning of all of this shit…" A plump man said. He had blonde hair and glasses.

"I guess it ain't too bad." A young African-American man said. He was either in his late teens or early twenties.

"Well look at that, Becca. You'll have some play mates." A red haired woman said as she gestured to Clementine and Sarah.

Sarah smiled and she said, "Hi."

Becca rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Becca… don't want to say hi back." The woman that appeared to be related to her said.

"No. I don't know them." Becca muttered.

"We could be friends." Sarah said.

"I'm not going to be friends with a couple of babies. Screw that." Becca muttered.

Sarah frowned at that. However, Clementine just shrugged. She didn't care either way. She was glad to just have Sarah as a friend. If the new girl wanted to be friends, then that would be her decision.

"But we can play with each other." Sarah said.

"I don't want to play baby games." Becca said. "I'd rather do something than to sit on my ass all day."

"Becca…" The woman said. She turned to Sarah and she said, "I'm sorry hon… We've been out there for a long time… We just need time to adjust."

Sarah frowned and she said, "Okay…"

"Alright… I will give you the tour and start handing out jobs for you tomorrow." Tavia said as she and the man returned. Bill wasn't with them.

"Alright… that seems fair." The plump man said.

"Yeah… I think this place is going to work out." The Asian-American man said.

"Alright… follow me." Tavia told the group. "The rest of you go back to your posts." She led the new people around the hardware store as everyone else dispersed.

Sarah sighed and she said, "I hope that new girl won't be like the other kids at my school. I got bullied a lot in school…" Sarah said as she hugged herself.

"It'll be okay, sweetie." Rebecca said. "She's probably just a little cold from being out there for so long."

"But Clem wasn't cold when she showed up…" Sarah said.

"Yeah… but I'm still really young… That girl was about your age… Besides, I got bullied on a little too… You know… kind of goes with being a small girl… Other kids just pick on you more." Clementine said.

"Yeah…" Sarah said as she shook her head. "I got picked on, teased, and even pranked… Eventually, my dad just took me out of school altogether and put me in a small private school… That one wasn't too bad, but I did have to wear these ugly school uniforms."

"Well… the good news is that you won't have to worry about school uniforms in my classroom." Rebecca said.

"That's good." Clementine said with a smile.

Bill walked up to the three. "Could you excuse us for a few minutes, girls?" Bill asked.

Rebecca looked to the two and she said, "Go ahead and go to the classroom." She seemed a bit annoyed. More than likely, she was annoyed at Bill.

The two girls nodded and went to the room that was used as a classroom. "I wonder what that was all about." Sarah said.

"I'm not sure… Mommy didn't seem too happy." Clementine said.

"Yeah… well… I guess it's none of our business." Sarah said. "We won't worry about it."

"Okay…" Clementine said. She didn't like the sound of that. Last time she was left out of discussions she caused the death of her whole group.

"Are you okay, Clem?" Sarah asked.

"I um… yeah… I'm just worried. Last time I was left out of group discussions, I… did something stupid. I started talking with a stranger and… that all led up to my group dying or disappearing." Clementine said. She felt tears stinging her eyes. She was still upset over what happened. Her new adoptive parents had helped to take away a lot of the pain, but she still felt guilty for what happened to them.

"Well it's different now…" Sarah said. "You now know that you shouldn't repeat what happened. Don't worry Clem… Rebecca, Alvin, and Luke are going to make sure that you don't do anything like that again. They'll take care of you."

Clementine huffed and she said, "I… I guess you're right."

"Come on Clem… Cheer up." Sarah said. "What do you of those new people." The older girl was trying to change the subject.

"They seem on edge, but that's normal for being out there." Clementine said.

"Yeah… They seem cool… but um… can I ask you a question?" Sarah asked.

"Sure… what's up?" Clementine asked. They walked into the room and sat at a couple of desks that sat in front of a chalkboard.

"You… um… You don't think that I'm a dork or anything like that, right?" Sarah asked.

"No… of course not. What brought that on?" Clementine asked.

"Whew, good… It's just… talking to that Becca girl reminded me of my public school's bullies… and I just want at least one friend around here." Sarah said.

"We'll always be friends." Clementine said.

Sarah smiled and she said, "Thanks Clem… I hope math won't be that hard today."

"Yeah same here." Clementine said with a smile forming on her lips. "You think you can help me if she hands out a pop quiz?"

"Clem, I can't. That's cheating." Sarah said. "Silly girl…"

Clementine shrugged and she said, "It was worth a try."

Rebecca walked in. She seemed a bit frustrated. "You okay mommy?" Clementine asked.

"I'm fine baby…" Rebecca said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She seemed stressed. "Tell you what…" Rebecca said as she looked up to the girls. I'm going to hand out a worksheet for you two to work on." She took a couple pieces of paper from the desk and gave them to the two girls. "Sarah, make sure you help Clementine if she gets stuck… I'm going to be right back." Rebecca walked out of the room leaving both girls with confused stares.

"I don't think I've ever seen her like that before… Something must have gotten her worked up." Sarah said.

"Yeah…" Clementine said with a frown.

"Don't worry… everything will work out." Sarah said. "Come on… Let's get this worksheet done." She started to scribble on the paper with her pencil. Clementine soon did the same. She went through and solved as many of the problems as possible before asking Sarah for help.

* * *

"Alright… Sorry about that." Rebecca said as she came back into the room. "You two ready to go over the answers."

"Yeah… is everything okay?" Clementine asked.

"Yes honey. Everything's fine." Rebecca said. "Now… let's go over the answers. Four times seven is what?"

"Twenty-eight." The girls said.

"Good. Now five times nine?" Rebecca asked.

"Forty-five." The girls said.

"Good job. You're getting the hang of the multiplication tables." Rebecca said.

"Yeah… I checked my answers with Sarah." Clementine said.

"Okay… that's good." Rebecca said. "You two ready to take the next step?"

"What would that be?" Sarah asked.

"Exponents." Rebecca said. "Don't worry… they're not that bad either."

"What do they look like?" Clementine asked. Rebecca responded by drawing the simple exponent equation on the chalk board behind her. It was two with an exponent of two. "Oh…" Clementine said with a frown. Part of her regretted asking.

"Don't worry… They aren't that bad. To solve exponents without a calculator, you rearrange the equation." She wrote on the chalkboard and showed it as two times two.

"Oh, so it's just another way to write two times two?" Sarah asked.

"Yes and no… In this this case, it is, but what exponents represent is how many times the base number is multiplied by itself. So if I had three to the second power, it would be three times three. We'll do a few more examples of this. Before we switch over to science." Rebecca said.

"No… Seriously? I am not doing school again." The three heard Becca say. They looked over to see Becca and her sister at the doorway.

The woman looked up and she said, "I'm sorry for the interruption." She looked back down to Becca and she said, "Becca, school is a good thing. You'll make friends with those two girls."

"What would be the use of learning science, reading, and math… It's worthless now." Becca said.

"And what if society rebuilds?" The woman asked. "You won't even have a high school education."

"Well… that's a pretty big if." Becca said as she walked away.

"Becca!" The woman said. She looked to Rebecca and said, "I might need help."

"Just take your time." Rebecca said. "I'll get her caught up."

"Thanks." The woman said with a smile. She walked out of the room and went to catch up with Becca.

"Anyway, where was I?" Rebecca asked.

"You were talking about exponents." Sarah said.

"Oh right." Rebecca said. She wrote up a few more exponent problems on board and she asked, "Okay… can either of you two answer what seven to the second power is?"

"Forty-nine." Sarah said.

"Good job." Rebecca said.

"Okay, Clem. What's five to the second power?" Rebecca asked.

Clementine looked to the example and she said, "Ten?"

"Not quite, sweetie." Rebecca said. "Here, let's see it this way." Rebecca said as she wrote the equation as five times five equals five to the second power equals…

"Oh… twenty-five." Clementine said.

"Very good." Rebecca said.

Rebecca did a few more equations with exponents before she switched to science. She took a sip of water before she started the lesson. "Okay… you girls ready to learn about astronomy?"

"What's that?" Clementine asked.

"It's the study of outer space." Rebecca said.

"Like aliens?" Clementine asked as she perked up.

Rebecca chuckled and she said, "Not quite honey. We'll be talking about the planets for the most part."

"Oh okay…" Clementine said.

"Do you remember all of the planets?" Rebecca asked.

"Umm… I think so… There was Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto." Clementine said.

"Very good. So we'll talk about the planets, their moons if they have any, and why Pluto got demoted from being a planet." Rebecca said.

"Yeah, can we talk about that?" Sarah asked. "How did Pluto get demoted from being a planet?"

"Okay. So here's the big issue about Pluto. We actually found another planet-like object next to Pluto in the early two thousands. It looked like it was the same size and composition as Pluto." Rebecca explained.

"So, we would have had ten planets?" Clementine asked.

"That's right, but then scientists found more planet-like objects. Again, they were the same size and composition as Pluto, so instead of having twenty some planets, they decided to demote Pluto and only have eight planets." Rebecca explained.

"So what is Pluto right now?" Clementine asked.

"Good question. We refer to Pluto as a dwarf planet along with those other potential planets that were found." Rebecca said.

"Okay… That makes sense." Sarah said.

"Yeah… I don't want to memorize that many planets anyway." Clementine said.

"No one does." Rebecca said with a chuckle.

"Hey… lunch is ready." Alvin said as he walked into the room.

"But we haven't gotten through science class yet." Clementine said.

"We'll get through more of it in the future." Rebecca said. "We were interrupted with the arrival of the new people. Don't worry… we got plenty of time."

"Okay." Clementine said. The two girls got up and went out of the room to enjoy lunch with the other group members.

"Wow… You certainly are smart for your age. You named off every planet without missing a beat." Sarah said.

"Thanks." Clementine said. "Still not as smart as you."

"Clem… you have to keep in mind that I got a four year head start over you." Sarah said.

"I know." Clementine said with a smirk.

The two girls joined their fellow group members at the table and began to eat. Rebecca and Alvin joined them shortly.

"So… guys… you ever get the feeling that… maybe things aren't as smooth as when everything happened?" Reggie asked. The question caught everyone off guard. Even Clementine was wondering what Reggie was getting at. Part of her was afraid of what he was thinking. Was he considering treachery?

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"I mean that… Bill might be losing… Think about it. He's making us do more and more work, and just when you think he lets up, he doesn't." Reggie said. "Plus, the guards are getting more… demanding. I have no intention of being a guard, but still I don't want to be treated like crap. Troy has always been nasty to deal with and George can be a real stick in the mud, but recently… they've been more aggressive."

The older group members nodded their heads in response. "I've noticed it myself." Alvin said.

"Yeah… why do we have to build on anyway?" Nick said.

"We need room for new people. I understand that Bill has a deadline to complete… but even I think he's going too far." Pete said.

"So what are you going to do?" Clementine asked. The group members looked to the two children before they looked back to each other.

"Don't worry about it." Rebecca said. "We'll handle it."

"Last time someone did something that my group didn't know about, it cost us our home." Clementine said.

"Well… if that happens, we'll meet up at Parker's Run." Luke said.

"Um… okay." Clementine said. She was still unsure of what to think of the group member's talk. Rebecca placed a comforting arm around her shoulders as the girl continued to eat her lunch.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: Not going to lie… this chapter was pretty rough to write. Anyway, there's going to be another huge time skip in the next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay… now we're getting into Season 2 territory. Clem's the same height as she was in the Season 2 game at this point in the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Almost a whole year had passed by since the new arrivals came to Howe's. Clementine had hit many growth spurts since then. She wore a purple dress, black tights, and black flats Her hair had grown out a bit and reached past her shoulders. It was still a curly mop of hair. Plus, she still wore her blue and white hat with the blood stain on it. She would always wear it to remember her mom, dad, previous life, and other group members.

She was waiting for Luke to show up so he could take her outside and help her through her drills. She already got the consent from her adoptive parents. "Ah… there you are." Clementine heard Bill's voice. She jumped upon hearing him. He seemed like a different person now than when she first met him. He was more destructive and sinister now.

Clementine looked over and tried to plaster on a brave face. "Where's Luke?" Clementine asked.

"Busy… I'll be going out there with you today. Besides… the way I see it, you don't need him. Enough of the training wheels. It's time that you showed how strong you really are." Bill said.

"But what if I get overwhelmed?" Clementine asked.

"Well… you better hope that doesn't happen." Bill said. "Today's test day… I can't help you cheat."

Clementine nodded with a nervous look on her face. She was starting to regret doing these drills. "Hey Bill… I didn't know you were going out there with the kid. You still want me to come along?" Johnny said.

Bill shook his head and he said, "No… I got this." He went to the door and opened. "Come on now." The leader said to the child. Clementine approached the door. She felt like something very bad was about to happen.

She walked outside with Bill following her. They walked into the nearby forest and went deeper into it to Parker's Run.

Bill was by her side. There was silence at first until Bill finally said, "You really are one of a kind. At first, I saw you as nothing more than a pathetic child… You were inexperienced and weak, but I did notice a small fire in you… a persistence… You wanted avoid death by any and all cost, so it was that you took it upon yourself to get stronger, to be more experienced, and even… to get smarter. You astound me. I always wondered what would happen to Howe's when I die, but now… looking to you… I can see hope… You'll just need to better yourself. Today is more than just a test of your hand-to-hand combat with lurkers. Today is the start of you becoming the future leader of Howe's."

"I… um… Thank you, Bill… but I don't want to be a leader. I just want to get strong enough so I don't die immediately if I end up on my own. That's all." Clementine said.

Bill shook his head and he said, "Typical… the will and mind of a weak person. Clementine, whether you choose to accept it or not, you and I are the same. We are both strong in body and mind… Now… all I need to do is to fix your will and desire."

"No… I… I'll help you guys if I have to, but I'm not going to lead." Clementine said.

"And what about Rebecca and Alvin? If you lead, you can guarantee their safety." Bill said.

"I… No… I can't… I messed up once… I'm not messing up again." Clementine said. They were getting closer and closer to Parker's Run. Clementine had to fight every intention to turn and run.

"You will mess up if you don't accept what you are. In fact, it'll be the biggest mistake of your life." Bill said. They walked out into the clearing of Parker's Run. Clementine contemplated on what Bill had told her before the leader spoke up. "Hmm… well… let's see how good you are."

Clementine looked up to see a couple of walkers approaching her and Bill. She pulled out her knife and attacked the closest walker. She kicked its leg in before stabbing it in the head. She continued to do this several times as more and more walkers approached her. After several minutes of doing this, Clementine backed away and huffed. She was tired. She wanted it to end.

"Keep going." Bill ordered in an uncaring tone.

Clementine fought through exhaustion and continued to kill more walkers. However, she was getting more careless and tired. There were two walkers left, but the first one knocked her down. She gasped and tried to push the walker off. Its gnashing teeth got closer and closer until she finally accepted defeat. She relaxed and waited for the gnashing teeth to sink into her neck.

It never happened.

The walker felt more liked deadweight and its growling stopped. She opened her eyes as the walker was taken off her. It was Luke; he saved her. "You had no right in interfering." Bill's voice was heard. He sounded angry.

"She was about to get her neck chewed out!" Luke exclaimed.

"She would have handled it." Bill said. "Now… leave us… We have more practice today."

"No… I ain't doing that." Luke said. "She's done for the day." He looked down to Clementine and he picked her up. She tensed up when he picked her up. "It's alright, Clem… I'm going to get you back to your mom and dad."

Clementine nodded as she held onto Luke. She was scared. She was so close to death today. Now… all she wanted was for someone to comfort her and tell her that everything was alright.

"Coddling her will only get her killed." Bill said.

"Not caring for her will also get her killed." Luke argued. He walked away with Clementine in his arms. The girl couldn't help but whimper. The whole situation with Bill and the walkers had scared her. "It's alright Clem… We're almost back…" Luke said.

* * *

She was still in Luke's arms as they entered Howe's and went looking for Alvin and Rebecca. Clementine had calmed down, but she was still very shaken up. Thankfully, it didn't take too long for them to find the child's parents. They rushed over to Luke and Clementine.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Rebecca asked in a frantic tone of voice.

"Yeah… she's just scared out of her mind." Luke said.

"Here… I got her." Alvin said as he took the girl out of Luke's arms. Clementine cuddled into him as he held her. "It's okay, baby. You're safe now." Alvin said to comfort the girl.

"What happened?" Rebecca asked in a calmer tone.

"Bill happened." Luke said. "Snuck her out to Parker's Run for training… but he pushed her too far. If I hadn't shown up when I did, she would have died."

Rebecca gasped and she said, "My gosh…"

Alvin shook his head and he said, "That's it… we're leaving."

"Look… I know we've talked about it for a long time, but are you sure?" Luke said.

"Absolutely." Alvin said. "Let's get Carlos and Pete and execute that escape plan."

Luke sighed and he said, "Alright."

"B-B-But it's… It's not safe out there…" Clementine said.

"Yeah… but it is safer than in here." Alvin said. He looked to Luke and he said, "I'll be with you in a bit."

"Okay." Luke said. "I'll go get Carlos and Pete." He turned and walked away from the family of three to find the two older men.

Without a word, Alvin turned and walked with Rebecca. Clementine could tell that they were going to the bedroom portion of Howe's. Once inside the room, Rebecca sat down on one of the beds and the recent eleven year old was placed on her lap. Rebecca hugged her as Clementine cuddled into her adoptive mother. "Will you be alright?" Alvin asked.

"Yeah…. I'll be fine." Rebecca said. "She just needs a few minutes with me." Clementine could feel Rebecca scratching her back. It was soothing and relaxing; however, it did make her sleepy especially after she overexerted herself when she was training.

"Alright… I'll be back." Alvin said. He turned and walked out of the room to find Luke and the others.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Rebecca asked her adopted daughter.

"Okay." Clementine said. Her voice was a bit shaky, but it sounded more tired than anything else.

"You sleepy?" Rebecca asked.

"A little." Clementine said as she rested her head on Rebecca's shoulder.

"Yeah… try a lot." Rebecca said. It wasn't long until Clementine's eyes closed shut. She was very tired after the day's events.

 **One Hour Later**

"Clem… honey wake up." Rebecca's voice was heard.

Clementine's eyes slowly open and she looked to Rebecca. "Mommy?" Clementine said. She sat upright on the bed.

"Hey baby, it's time to eat." Rebecca said.

Clementine nodded and got out of bed. "How long was I out?" Clementine asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"About an hour." Rebecca said. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah." Clementine said. She stopped rubbing her eyes and got up from the bed. "Thanks for comforting me, mommy."

"Of course, baby. You don't have to thank me. Your daddy and I are here for you." Rebecca said as she placed a hand behind her back and had her walk with her. They walked down the hallway in relative silence. The silence was comfortable at first but she did notice that her adoptive mother seemed very tense.

"What's wrong?" Clementine asked.

"It's nothing." Rebecca said. "I'll explain later."

"Um… okay." Clementine said.

They walked into the make-shift cafeteria and went over to the table to join Alvin. They sat down next to him with Clementine being in the middle. "Hey baby. You feeling okay?" Alvin asked as he kissed the girl on the top of the head.

Clementine giggled a bit and she said, "Yeah, I'm better. Thanks."

"So… what did Bonnie have to say about our plan?" Carlos whispered. "Is she in?"

"No… she said that it was better to fix something broken rather than to start all over again." Luke whispered.

"Well… that's her choice." Pete whispered. "As for the rest of us… we need to leave tonight."

Clementine ate the food in front of her as she listened to the group at the table talk. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that Howe's wasn't safe anymore. Carver was the threat. Just like the stranger, he was trying to take her away from the people she loved and use her in some way, but while the stranger's intentions were somewhat unknown to her, she knew what Carver wanted. He wanted her to toughen up and become leader which was something that she didn't want to do.

The rest of the meal was filled with more tension than usual. The adults barely talked at all. The mood was drastically different. Once they finished, they got up from the table with a few of them separating. Clementine went back to playing with Sarah. They played a game of Monopoly while talking to each other. As always, Becca stayed away from them.

* * *

Evening turned into night, and the girls went to sleep. However, it wasn't long until they were woken up. "Clementine… come on baby. We're leaving." Rebecca said as she got the girl to sit upright.

Clementine yawned as Rebecca got her to her feet. Clementine knew what Rebecca was doing. She knew that the group was leaving the community. She followed Rebecca as they made their way down the hallway. Carlos walked next to them with Sarah.

They reached the rest of the group. They were all squatted down to avoid being seen. Once Clementine, Rebecca, Carlos, and Sarah arrived, they stood up, and Luke led the way to the exit. They were as quiet as possible as they went for the door. However, a loud voice stopped them in their tracks. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" A man inquired. It was George.

In a flash, Alvin pulled out his handgun and shot George. All Clementine could hear was a loud scream before the group scrambled for the door. She was dragged along by her adoptive mother as the silence from earlier turned into panic and thuds. Howe's was now active. The group ran outside and dispersed with Rebecca still dragging her along. It was her and her adoptive family. Everyone else had dispersed and entered the forest surrounding Howe's.

Gunshots flew past the group members as they went into the forest. However, a scream from behind Clementine stopped her in her tracks. She looked back to see Reggie groaning in pain. He was on the ground.

"Reggie." Clementine said as she tugged at her adoptive mother's grip.

"Keep going! I'll help him!" Luke exclaimed.

"Come on, baby. It's too dangerous." Rebecca said as she continued to drag Clementine along. The young girl showed more resistance than before. All she could do was look to Reggie as Luke got closer. Eventually, they disappeared from her line of sight and Clementine looked forward. She and her family were in the forest. She felt awful for not being able to do something. She wished that she could have helped back there.

"Hey Clem." Alvin said.

"Yes daddy?" Clementine said as she looked up to her adoptive father.

"I… Can you take the lead and show us where Parker's Run is?" Alvin asked. "I've only been there a few times."

"Sure." Clementine said. She quickened her pace and walked in front of her adoptive father.

"You alright, baby?" Alvin asked.

Clementine nodded and she said, "I wish I could have helped in some way."

"You're just a child, Clem." Rebecca said. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did a very good job. You were quiet and fast. We're proud of you."

A small smile appeared on her face, and Clementine said, "Thanks mommy."

She led them through the forest. They could hear the distant gunshots cease. It wasn't long until Clementine could find a familiar path and followed it to Parker's Run. The family of three got out of the forest and walked up to the group that had gathered around the Civil War monument. They were surprised by a couple of flashlight beams that hit them.

"Easy." Alvin said. "It's just us."

"Good…" Pete said.

"F***… What the hell happened back there?" Nick inquired.

"Nick! Language." Connie said in a scolding tone of voice.

"Reggie got shot… Luke went back to help him… I couldn't do anything. I had to get my family out of there." Alvin said.

"It's alright… You did the right thing." Pete said.

"Everyone else make it?" Rebecca asked.

"Still waiting for Luke, Carlos, and Sarah." Connie said. "I'm not sure what happened to them after we dispersed."

"They should be okay." Pete said. "Carlos and Luke know where this place is. Once they find it, we'll head out and find a new place to live… somewhere remote…"

"It won't be easy…" Clementine said.

The adults looked to her with confused stares.

Clementine huffed and she said, "Now that we're out here, we'll have to worry about surviving, and finding a safe place to live is really hard."

"Don't worry. We'll find a nice place to live." Rebecca said to reassure Clementine. Clementine shook her head. She hadn't been able to call a place a permanent home after the walkers came. She stayed at Howe's the longest, but she never felt like it was home to her.

She could still feel their glances on her. Clementine felt a pair of hands on her shoulders which was followed by her adoptive father's voice. "Come on. Let's see if we can get some sleep." Alvin said.

Clementine nodded in response. She wasn't sure if she could fall asleep after everything that happened, but she was more than willing to try.

… **To be continued.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Clementine woke up a couple of hours later. She saw that Luke, Carlos, and Sarah were with Rebecca, Connie, Pete and Nick. They were talking to each other. Sarah walked off and went over to Clementine. She seemed very sad. "What's wrong?" Clementine asked.

"Reggie… Luke… he couldn't help him… He panicked when he saw Carver's people approaching. They don't know what happened to him." Sarah explained.

Clementine frowned and she said, "It's my fault… I should have done something. I could have helped him."

"Clem… that wasn't your fault… If there's anyone to blame it would be Carver." Sarah said.

Clementine gripped her arm and she said, "I still feel bad for what happened to him."

Sarah frowned and nodded her head. She understood what the younger girl was going through. "Don't worry, girls… With a little luck, we're never going to see Carver or that place ever again." Alvin said as he walked up to them from behind Clementine. He must have just woken up.

"Where will we go?" Clementine said as she turned around.

"Well… Luke… found a cabin that's pretty secluded. He only got a quick look at it. He told the rest of us that it was out in the middle of nowhere. It'll be hard to do runs now, but… we'll be safe." Alvin said.

The group members made their way over to the two children and Alvin. "So you three ready to go?" Luke asked.

"We'll follow your lead." Alvin said.

"I still can't believe we did it. We've dreaded our home for the past few months and now… we're free." Connie said.

"I'm glad that we left… but… Bill isn't just going to leave us alone." Rebecca said.

"Yes… We know that he doesn't let things go." Carlos said.

"It's not just that." Rebecca said. "Some of you have probably figured it out by now, but… for those who haven't, Bill is going to chase us down because of Clementine."

Pete's, Nick's, Connie's, Carlos's, and Sarah's eyes widened upon hearing this. Clementine frowned a bit and looked down. She felt comforted when she felt her adoptive father's hands on her shoulders. "What do you mean it's because of her? She's just a little girl." Connie said.

"I know… Bill wants Clementine as his heir… but that would mean that he would want her to act the same way he does." Rebecca said.

"No wonder you wanted us to leave suddenly." Pete said.

"Maybe… Maybe I should do it…" Clementine said. "If I would have agreed, then Reggie would have never got left behind, and now, you guys are going to get hunted down because of me."

"Hush now… I don't want to hear you talk like that." Alvin said in a stern voice. "I would never want to see what that sociopath would have done to you. You're a sweet, loving kid, Clem… I don't want to see you become a heartless monster, and that's exactly what Carver would have done to you. He would have changed you into a heartless monster."

Clementine frowned. She felt even worse for suggesting that she would give in to Carver's demand. "Alvin… you're making her feel bad." Rebecca said with a frown.

Clementine heard a huff from behind her. She felt herself being turned around and given a hug by the man. She couldn't stop herself from crying. It felt like everything was her fault. If she hadn't been in their lives, none of this would have happened. "Hey don't cry… I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh on you." Alvin said in a gentle voice.

"It's not that." Clementine sobbed. "I… This is all my fault. If I hadn't shown up…"

"Sh…" Alvin said as he rubbed her back. "We love you, honey. You kept me and Bec together. You made us a family."

"He's right, sweetie." Rebecca said. "Before you showed up… I… did a stupid thing… I started to see Bill… I know that I would have regretted that if anything else happened between him and me."

"Clem… we're a group… We're all here to support one another." Luke said. "Now don't you worry about us. Carver is smart and he is strong but so are we."

A small smile formed on Clementine's lips. She turned to the group while being in her adoptive father's embrace. "Thank you." Clementine said.

The group sent nods to her. Alvin released her from the hug and he got up. He looked to Luke and he said, "Lead the way."

"Alright. It's a bit of a trek." Luke said. He took the lead with the group members following behind him. Clementine was a bit nervous to be back out in the open with no home, but she felt more reassured this time. She had her new family and friends to watch her back. She wasn't alone in this horrible world.

She walked between her adoptive parents as the group followed Luke to this new location.

 **Night**

After a whole day of walking, the group had found the cabin. It was well furnished and to their surprise, there was a decent amount of food and medical supplies found inside. Additionally, it was cozy. The cabin provided plenty of warmth. It was as good as they were going to get in the new world.

"I guess we ought to do watch." Alvin said to Luke and Pete.

"Yeah… we might… even with this place being secluded." Luke said.

"Not you. We might need to go on a run tomorrow to get more supplies. We'll see what we can find." Pete said.

"In that case, you're going to need to rest too." Connie said. "I'll take watch after Alvin."

"Connie…" Pete said.

"Don't you 'Connie' me. You know I'm tough and I know how to use a gun." Connie said.

Pete sighed and he said, "I guess you won't take no for an answer."

Connie smirked and she said, "You know me so well."

Pete rolled his eyes and he said, "Just be careful."

"Will do." Connie said.

Pete and Luke went upstairs while Connie went over to the sofa to get some sleep before she would have to switch places with Alvin.

"Time for bed, sweetie." Carlos said to his daughter.

"Okay." Sarah said. She went up the stairs to go into the bedroom that she and Clementine would sleep in.

"Come on, baby girl, let's put your hair up so it's not a tangled mess tomorrow morning." Rebecca said to Clementine.

"Okay." Clementine said with a small smile on her lips. She was surprised that she smiled. She had spent the whole day worrying about the safety of her new family and the group. However, she was relieved that they had found a place to call home.

She followed Rebecca upstairs and they went into the room that Rebecca and Alvin would have. Rebecca sat on the bed and pulled the eleven year old over to sit on her lap. She took the nearby comb and ran it through her curly hair. Clementine was finally relaxing after a whole day of worrying. "You have been tense all day." Rebecca said.

"I know… I'm sorry… I just can't stop worrying. I lost my whole group from this world including Lee… I don't want to lose you guys too." Clementine said with a frown.

"Oh honey. You need to stop worrying about us. We have been in this world for a long time now. We all know how to take care of ourselves." Rebecca said.

"What about Sarah? Shouldn't she learn how to survive since she's out here now?" Clementine asked.

"That's a good point. I'll ask Carlos tomorrow morning." Rebecca said. She used a couple of hair ties to keep her hair in place. "Your hair is getting long, Clem."

"Is that bad?" Clementine asked.

"No, I'm just… I'm amazed at how long it's getting." Rebecca said. "I guess that's just a sign that you're growing up."

"Along with some of the growth spurts." Clementine said with a smile.

"Yeah, along with the growth spurts, but you're still fun size." Rebecca said. "Alright, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed."

"Okay. I am too." Clementine said as she got up from Rebecca's lap.

Rebecca stood up and bent down to kiss her daughter on the cheek. "Night baby." Rebecca said as she hugged the girl.

"Night mommy." Clementine said as she hugged back. The two soon separated from the hug and Clementine left the room. The young girl didn't feel as anxious as she was earlier. She could finally take in a deep breath and relax.

She entered Sarah's room and saw that the teenager was already asleep. She got on the other side of the bed and laid down next to her. She was glad to be sleeping in a bed again. The cots back at Howe's took a long time to get used to. More and more, the cabin was starting to feel like home. It was home.

 **Morning**

Clementine opened her eyes and sat upright in her bed. She looked around the room and noticed that Sarah was missing. She always was an early riser. She got off the bed and heard the adults downstairs. She walked out of her room and went downstairs. She noticed the adults talking to each other with Sarah listening in. She was surprised that they had let her be in the conversation.

Rebecca turned her head upon noticing Clementine. "Morning baby girl." Rebecca said.

"Good morning. What's going on?" Clementine asked.

"Come on over. It's not adult talk." Rebecca said.

Clementine nodded and she went over. Like last night, Rebecca placed the girl on her lap, but this time it was to remove the hair ties.

"Alright, so here's the problem with this location. The nearest town is about five miles from here." Luke said.

"So, in other words, it's a bit of a walk." Pete said.

"If you would leave now, you wouldn't come back until it was early evening." Carlos said.

"That's not good especially considering that winter is coming." Rebecca said.

There was silence amongst the group members until Luke said, "Look… I know this place may seem rough, but there's a lot going for it right now. There are a few lurkers here, but nothing too terrible. This place is still in one piece, it's well insulated, and it's got all its furniture. This place is in better shape than what I thought. We'll just have to find food, get some running water going, and maybe get a generator so that we have a working stove."

"That would be really nice." Clementine said.

Luke smiled and he said, "At least I got the kid on my side. So, Clem, what do you think? I mean, you've been around some places. You think this place is good."

"Yeah… it'll definitely work. It's safer than some of the places I've been to, and it's nicer than Howe's." Clementine said.

"I have to admit that's true." Pete said. "That place felt more like a prison than a home."

"It was a prison." Nick said.

"Alright… So what should we do?" Carlos asked.

"You should come with me that way I know what to grab if we come across a pharmacy." Luke said.

Carlos sighed and he said, "Alright…" He turned to Rebecca and he asked, "Won't mind if you keep an eye on Sarah?"

"I won't mind." Rebecca said as she finished messing with Clementine's hair.

"Thank you." Carlos said.

"I'll take a rain check on that run and look around the house to see what I can do. The Randall family has always been filled with handymen." Pete said to Luke. "You and Carlos should be fine."

"Won't be my first time having to deal with walkers or people for that matter." Carlos said.

"Great… What do you want me to do?" Nick asked.

"Take a look around the area. See if there's anything we can use." Pete said. Nick groaned in response. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to do anything.

"What about me and Clem?" Sarah asked.

"How about you two help me get this place cleaned up?" Rebecca said.

"Yeah… that sounds good." Clementine said.

"Alright… We all have our assignments." Luke said. "We'll let Alvin and Connie sleep in for the time being." The adults began to get up which was Clementine's cue to get up as well.

Pete went outside with Nick trailing behind him. Luke was gathering up a couple of guns, ammunition, and some other supplies for the run while Carlos talked to Sarah. Clementine turned and waited for adoptive mother to give a set of chores or to follow her lead.

However, Rebecca didn't say or do anything. She looked down to Clementine and she said, "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. I like my and Sarah's new bed. It's comfy." Clementine said.

"That's good." Rebecca said. "I can tell you like it here."

"I guess I do… but do you?" Clementine asked.

"I… I don't know. Part of me wants to keep moving so that Carver can't find us… but… you looked so tense yesterday. And I hate seeing you like that." Rebecca said.

"I'm scared that I'll lose you and daddy." Clementine said with a frown.

"It's okay, honey." Rebecca said as she pulled Clementine in for a hug. "Your daddy and I are strong."

"Lee was strong too… and he's gone…" Clementine said.

"I know honey…" Rebecca said. "Everything will work out." She released Clementine from her hug and stood upright.

"Alright… Keep Sarah safe." Carlos said as he approached Rebecca with Sarah by his side.

"I will. Just make sure you get back safely." Rebecca said.

"Will do." Carlos said. He walked over to Luke and the two men left the house.

Rebecca huffed and she said, "Alright girls. Let's see what we can find." She went over to one of the nearby closets and started to look through it.

Sarah and Clementine went into the kitchen and started to look through the cupboards. "Hey Clem." Sarah said.

"Yeah?" Clementine asked.

"Is everything okay? You were really tense yesterday, and you still kind of are." Sarah said.

"I am very tense. The world is really bad right now, Sarah." Clementine said. "And… I'm afraid that I'll lose everyone again… like last time."

"Oh…" Sarah said. "Why's it so bad?"

"It's because of the monsters out there." Clementine said. "The same ones that were chasing us when we left Howe's."

"Yeah… those things look scary." Sarah said.

"Yeah…" Clementine said. She didn't like talking about the walkers. After all, those creatures are at the very least partly responsible for taking everything.

She kept checking the food in the cupboards. She and Sarah had to throw out a lot of food that had spoiled long ago before Rebecca came in. "Well… there's some things we can use to clean up the inside of this cabin."

"That's good… A lot of the food is spoiled." Clementine said with a frown.

"Well… we knew that." Rebecca said. "Has anyone looked in the fridge yet?"

Both girls shook their heads no.

Rebecca sighed and she said, "Alright…" She went over to the fridge and looked inside what was in it. Clementine and Sarah were curious, so they looked over her shoulder. "Oh my gosh…" Rebecca muttered. The fridge was filled with bottles and cans.

"What is it?" Clementine asked.

"Alcohol… I guess what else can you expect." Rebecca said. "The last people who were in here were probably a bunch of men going out hunting."

"What did they eat if the refrigerator is full of alcohol?" Clementine asked.

"Probably whatever they hunted… who knows…" Rebecca said.

"So what should we do with all of it?" Sarah asked.

"Throw it out." Rebecca said.

… **To be continued.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys… It might be a little busy on my end. So this story and Tender Moments might have to take a back seat for a little while. This is because I'm making up for lost time. I got my old files on my new computer. Also, I am starting Season 3 for SoT, but since I'm doing my own plot for it, it'll be a while till anything new is posted.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

A couple of weeks had passed by for the group. The cabin was becoming more like a real home. Over the course of the last few weeks, Clementine had enjoyed herself. She had spent less time worrying about her new parents and more time being a bit carefree. She wasn't as tense anymore.

After much persistence, Clementine and Rebecca were finally able to get Carlos to agree to having Sarah outside to enjoy the cool and crisp weather. Both girls spent their time collecting the leaves that had already fallen. Rebecca and Connie watched them.

"These are really pretty. It feels like it's been forever since I've collected leaves." Sarah said.

"Same here." Clementine said. She stopped when she heard the crunching of leaves. It wasn't Sarah since the older girl was behind her.

Clementine started to back away from the sound of the crunching leaves. Whoever was walking on the leaves was getting closer.

"Clem?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah… we need to get back to the house." Clementine said. Before saying anything else, she ran over to her adoptive mother. Rebecca must have noticed her behavior since she was standing up and looking to the two girls.

"Sarah, come over here!" Rebecca exclaimed.

Connie raced past Clementine and went toward Sarah and whoever was approaching the cabin. Connie raised her hunting rifle up and shielded Sarah. "Come out here, now!" Connie demanded.

A couple seconds passed by until a woman came out. She looked pale from where Clementine stood. "Please… help." The woman said before she collapsed.

Clementine watched with wide eyes while Sarah jumped.

"We… We got to help her…" Sarah said.

"Go inside and get your dad. We'll see what we can do." Connie said. Sarah obliged with a nod and she ran inside the cabin. Rebecca went over with Clementine walking alongside her. Connie crouched down and checked the woman for a pulse.

"Is she okay?" Rebecca asked.

"She's got a weak pulse, and she's warm." Connie said.

Clementine heard footsteps approaching and she turned to see Carlos coming toward them. He crouched down and checked the woman. "We'll take her inside. Get her out of this cold." Carlos said. He looked up and he said, "Clementine, go inside."

Clementine nodded and went toward the door. Pete and Luke rushed out of the house before she could get inside. They were running toward the woman. Clementine looked back to see most of the group surrounding the woman. She couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't seem right. The woman didn't look right.

She stepped aside and watched as several group members took her inside. "Come on honey." Alvin said as he gestured her to walk next to him. Clementine walked alongside him and she entered the cabin. Sarah was at the table with a frightened look on her face.

"Sarah." Rebecca said. She went over to the table. Clementine walked over to join them.

"Is that woman okay?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know honey. Your dad is going to look at her." Rebecca said. She looked to Clementine and she said, "Are you alright? You froze out there…"

"I… I don't know… It's just… something was off about that woman." Clementine said.

"Do you know her?" Rebecca asked.

Clementine shook her head and she said, "I don't think so."

"Hey Bec." Alvin said as he popped his head in from the living room. "Carlos is holding an emergency meeting."

"Stay here… both of you." Rebecca said as she got up. She left the kitchen and went into the living room with Alvin.

"What do you think is going on, Clem?" Sarah asked.

"I… I don't know…" Clementine said. She got up and went to the door.

"Wait Clem… You can't go in there. Not yet anyway." Sarah said.

"I know… I need to know what's going on." Clementine said as she pressed her ear against the door.

"Clem, stop it. That's eavesdropping." Sarah said. However, Clementine didn't listen. She needed to know what was going on.

Sarah looked to her with an anxious stare. The teen must have kept wondering why the younger girl wasn't listening to her.

"She's bit by a lurker." Carlos's voice was heard.

"My gosh…" Luke muttered.

"F***…" Nick added.

"What can we do?" Rebecca asked. "If she's bit… that means that she'll turn any minute now."

"Connie and I are handling the situation. Maybe… maybe we can save this woman." Carlos said.

"Where is my mom?" Nick asked.

"She's up-" Before Carlos could continue there was an ear-piercing scream that echoed throughout the cabin. Clementine gasped and she started to back away from the door. She heard the group scrambling up the stairs.

"That… That sounded like Connie…" Sarah said.

Rebecca rushed into the kitchen to see Clementine looking at her with wide eyes. "It's alright." Rebecca said as she pulled Clementine in for a hug to comfort the frightened girl.

"NOOO!" Nick's voice was heard. There was an evident sad and angry tone to it. Clementine didn't have to guess what happened. She knew what happened. The woman reanimated and killed Connie. She knew this was going to happen. She knew that someone she cared about was going to die…

 **Zeke's POV (This is where regular Season 2 picks up.)**

Zeke did his best to keep the fire alive while Omid cradled his daughter in his arms. The toddler was eighteen months old and was starting to string together coherent words that the boy and man could understand. Despite all that they've been through, Genevieve was rather healthy.

Zeke had hit a few growth spurts and was now taller than Omid. He looked up to Omid and shook his head. "The woods too wet to burn." Zeke whispered. He didn't want to wake the toddler.

Omid huffed and he said, "Alright…" He got up and handed the toddler to Zeke. Genevieve's eyes opened and she looked to Omid. "I'm going to go look for more wood. Watch her." Omid said. He turned and walked away from Zeke and Genevieve.

The toddler in Zeke's arms whimpered a little but he comforted her. Zeke got up and went over to the fallen log where Omid had sat earlier. He and Omid were running on fumes. Zeke may have taken care of his little brother when he was younger, but that was when he didn't have to worry about walkers and people.

Genevieve was back to sleep in no time, but the sound of arguing brought Zeke out of his thoughts. The arguing was close by. He had to fight every instinct to run. If he ran, he would separate Genevieve from the only family she had left, but he wasn't going to put himself and the baby in danger. All it took was one sound for him to bolt from the campsite and go in the opposite direction of the yelling. That sound would be a gunshot.

After several tense-filled seconds, Zeke heard it. It was the sound of a gunshot. Without thinking twice, Zeke grabbed Genevieve's bag and ran in the opposite direction. As he did so, the toddler in his arms cried. The gunshot frightened her. "Sh… It's okay, Gen. Sh…" Zeke said to calm the toddler down. After a while, it worked but it was too late. Her cries had woken up the entire forest. Dormant walkers were awake and limping toward the toddler's screams. Plus, Zeke knew the people would chase after him. He had to run for his life and the toddler's life.

* * *

Zeke huffed as he reached a campsite. He had ran off and on for the last few miles until he stumbled upon the campsite. Genevieve had finally calmed down and was back to sleep. Zeke looked around until he saw a rusted van. He climbed in with Genevieve and closed the door shut. He was surprised the toddler didn't wake up from the screech that the door made. Zeke laid down and immediately fell asleep despite sleeping on the floor of the vehicle.

 **Morning**

Zeke groaned as he opened his eyes. He saw Genevieve on top of him. She was looking down at him with curious eyes. "Dada?" The toddler asked.

Zeke knew what she meant. "I don't know where dada is, but we're going to find him." Zeke said.

The toddler lowered her head in response. She understood, but she was also saddened that her father was missing.

"I think I have a granola bar with me. We'll have that for breakfast." Zeke said as he picked up the toddler. He sat down on the seat with baby on his lap. She kept looking around with curious eyes. She has never been in a vehicle before.

"Car?" Genevieve asked.

"Yeah. We're in a car, Genevieve." Zeke said.

The toddler babbled a bit as Zeke went through his bag and pulled out a granola bar. "Make sure you chew." Zeke said as he broke off small bite-sized pieces of the granola bar. After several minutes of hand feeding Genevieve, the first granola bar was gone. Zeke then ate his granola bar. He placed the toddler on the seat and went outside to look at the surrounding camp.

He looked back to Genevieve who was following behind him. She made baby babble and giggled a bit as she followed him. "You want to help me?" Zeke asked.

Genevieve nodded her head in response. "Alright. You do what I say, okay?" Zeke said. Genevieve only responded with a blank stare.

"I'll take that as an 'okay'." Zeke said. He walked around the camp with the toddler keeping up as best as she could. She was still struggling with walking; however, that was normal for her age.

Zeke checked the campsite with the toddler by his side. Unfortunately, his search came up empty handed. He couldn't find anything that would help him or the toddler that was with him. "Well… that bites…" Zeke muttered. He turned to Genevieve and he said, "Alright, kid. How about I change you and then we keep going through the forest. Okay?"

The toddler responded with baby babble that he couldn't understand. "Well… at least that's my plan." Zeke said. He picked up the toddler and carried her to the van. After changing her, he placed her in the carrier and strapped it to his back. Zeke then went further into the forest with the toddler cooing and making baby babble. He didn't mind if she did that. As long as she didn't do any crying.

Zeke sighed as he continued through the forest. He felt like something was off. He may have been a bit paranoid, but he had to be. That's the only way he's lived this long. Zeke looked in every direction until he saw it. He saw a walker limping toward him. It appeared to be only one, but then a couple more appeared from behind the trees. Before he knew it, he saw a whole herd of walkers limping toward him and Genevieve.

"I really hate this area…" Zeke muttered. He turned and ran toward an opening. He noticed that two walkers had limped into his path. He took one of them out with his knife and was ready to attack the other, but an arrow hit the walker from the side.

Zeke's eyes widened and he looked to his right to see an older man with a crossbow and a younger man with a machete.

"This way!" The younger man said as he slashed at a nearby walker. Zeke didn't have to be told twice. He ran over to the two men and ran past them. He could hear their footsteps behind him as they ran from the herd. He was lucky to be alive.

* * *

After running for several minutes, Zeke and the two men stopped to catch their breaths. "I think… I think we lost them." The older man said. He was hunched over gasping for air.

The younger man looked back from where they came and he said, "Yeah… we're good." He looked to Zeke and he said, "You alright, kid?"

"Yeah…" Zeke said with an untrusting glance aimed at the two. "Why'd you two help me?"

"Huh? Well… isn't it obvious? You needed help." The younger man said.

"Now that… doesn't make sense. People help others for one of two reasons nowadays. You either want to earn my trust and have me lower my guard or you want something in return." Zeke said.

"That may be how the world works nowadays, but not us." The older man said.

"And how am I supposed to believe you?" Zeke asked.

"How about you just give us a chance. We got a couple of kids back at where we're at." The younger man said. "We're not bad people."

Zeke relaxed upon hearing that the two men had kids. "Families… that's always a good thing, but I'd rather see it for myself."

"Alright. Name's Luke by the way." The younger man said as he and the older man started to walk again. Zeke walked next to them.

"I'm Pete." The older man said.

"I'm Zeke. The little one is Genevieve." Zeke said.

Luke smiled upon seeing the toddler. "Hey there." Luke said with a smile. Genevieve smiled back and started to speak in baby babble. "Yeah? Tell me all about it."

Pete chuckled and he said, "I'll take a guess that she ain't your baby sister?"

"Nah… she belonged to a friend of mine. Her mother died from childbirth and I got separated from her father." Zeke said.

"What about your own parents? I mean… you're not that old yourself." Luke said.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Zeke said.

Luke and Pete looked to each other with questioning stares. They must have noticed the malice in his voice. He was still bitter toward his parents for the situation that they put him and his brother in. "Fair enough…" Luke said.

"Well… how about you rest up at the cabin we're in. After all… it can't be easy to be looking after a baby all by yourself." Pete said.

"It's a bit of a challenge, and I certainly would like a rest." Zeke said. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to trust these new people.

"There you go." Luke said. The two men led him past a fence and Luke said, "Listen… everyone is a bit tense, so they might snap your head off… I know Nick certainly will."

"Thanks for the heads up." Zeke muttered.

"Sorry… it's just how things are right now." Luke said.

"Well… we're here." Pete said as they walked out of the forest and into an opening. "Home, sweet, home…"

Zeke walked to the side of the two men so he could have a better look. He saw a rather nice cabin with some firewood stacked on the deck. There was also a shed not too far from it. "Cozy." Zeke said.

… **To be continued.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: My gosh… what a delay… My classes demand so much attention this semester. I guess it's normal since I'm getting to the end of my bachelor's degree… I'm hoping that next semester won't be as busy, but since I have two graduate classes waiting for me, I doubt there will be much time to spend on my fanfiction… Oh well... Oh and replaying Skyrim after years of not playing it with the remastered version was a very bad choice. Anyway, on with the story**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Zeke followed Luke and Pete as they approached the cabin. "If you think it looks cozy from out here, wait until you see the inside." Luke said. Zeke saw the cabin as a good place for him and Genevieve to rest. The best part was how secluded it was. A big worry for him about Wellington, if it even existed, was that its fame could attract bandits and scavengers, but this cabin would have been easily missed unless a person was specifically looking for it.

Zeke was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw someone exit the cabin with a hunting rifle in hand. He did not look happy. Zeke stopped altogether while still holding onto Genevieve. He had her turned around and looking over his shoulder. The look of the younger man was not welcoming. He ran up to him, Luke, and Pete.

"Luke, Uncle Pete, what the f***?" The young man inquired. "Who the f*** are they?" Zeke could feel Genevieve tighten her grip on his sweatshirt. She was scared, but after being in this world for her whole life, she knew that crying would only make things worse. The only thing Zeke could do to comfort her was to rub her back.

"Nick, calm down. It's just a boy and a baby." Pete said.

"You don't know that. They could be working for Carver! What were you thinking?" The young man, Nick, inquired.

"Come on, Nick. A baby and a teenager. Look… I know Carver is probably desperate to find us, but do you really think he would have the patience to deal with either?" Luke said.

A woman and a stocky man soon joined the group and looked to Zeke with questioning stares. The woman's eyes softened when she saw the toddler. "What's going on here?" The woman asked. Zeke was surprised to see the toddler's head move to look at the woman. Plus, her grip on his sweatshirt loosened. This was the first woman Genevieve had ever seen who wasn't out to kill her. She was curious especially after having a man and a boy as her only caregivers for her whole life.

"Rebecca, these two just brought back a couple of Carver's spies." Nick said.

"Now hold on." Pete said. "He told us that he was with the baby's father and they got separated."

"Did you even check them for bites?" Nick inquired.

Pete crossed his arms and he sighed. "No… I admit that I didn't do that."

"So f****** stupid. What were you thinking?" Nick snapped.

"I was thinking that a baby is a very rare sight these days. Seriously, when was the last time you've seen a baby?" Pete said.

"He's got a point." The stocky man said. He smiled as he looked to the toddler. The toddler kept her stare on the woman named Rebecca. "She likes you, Bec." The man said.

Rebecca smiled at the baby and she said, "Hi."

The toddler was a bit confused and curious. However, she did reply. "Hi." Genevieve said in a quiet voice. She was eying the woman intently.

"She is so cute." Rebecca said.

"Yeah… Her name is Genevieve. You're the first woman she's ever met." Zeke said.

Rebecca frowned and she said, "Where's her mother?"

Zeke shook his head and he said, "She died giving birth to her."

"Aw…" Rebecca said. Zeke knew that she felt bad for the toddler. Genevieve twisted her body and had her arms out for Rebecca to pick her up. Zeke was a bit surprised. He had never seen Genevieve warm up so quickly to a stranger. Given her circumstances, Genevieve was a warm and easy child, but she didn't trust new people immediately.

"Won't mind if I hold her?" Rebecca asked.

"No. Go for it." Zeke said. Rebecca picked up the toddler from Zeke's grip and held the toddler.

Rebecca gave the toddler a smile, but Genevieve could only respond by staring at Rebecca.

"This doesn't change anything." Nick said.

Rebecca rolled her eyes and she said, "Nick, give it a rest. If the baby was bit, she would be really fussy right now and she would be fading out of consciousness."

"What about him?" Nick inquired as he aimed the hunting rifle at Zeke.

"I'm not bitten." Zeke said.

"Carlos should have a look at him." Nick said.

"Okay… I'll go get him." Luke said. He left the group and went toward the cabin.

"In the meantime, why don't you point that damn thing elsewhere." Pete said as he gestured to the gun.

"I'm not taking my chances." Nick said as he kept his gun aimed at Zeke.

Zeke sighed. He was tense. The last thing he wanted to see happen was for this idiot asshole to get him shot. If the gunshot didn't kill him, the infection probably would. But if by some strange coincidence that the infection didn't kill him, Omid certainly would once he found him and Genevieve.

Several tense minutes passed by until Luke came out of the cabin with a Hispanic man. He must have been Carlos. There was something off about him… something he didn't like. They walked down from the porch and approached the group.

"Is this him?" Carlos asked. There was a tang of disgust in his voice.

"Yeah, that's Zeke." Luke replied.

Carlos sighed before he checked the teenager for a temperature. "He's not warm." Carlos said before he checked Zeke's arms and face.

Nick grumbled and he said, "This isn't how we do things man. If he is bit, he should be put down. We can't lose more people."

"Nick, we don't know if he is bit. Let Carlos take a look at him, alright?" Luke said.

Zeke noticed more movement from the cabin's door. His eyes widened when he saw a teenage girl at the door's entrance. He hadn't seen someone around his age in a while. "Who's he?" The girl asked. She seemed nice.

"Sarah, what did I say? Stay inside." Carlos said to the teenager. She slowly retreated inside, but she kept her gaze on Zeke. Zeke did the same and kept his gaze on her. She was cute, but he had never gotten along with girls in the past. There were a couple, but he later found out that they were manipulating him. The girl finally closed the door and Zeke looked back to the group.

Soon, Carlos finished his examination and stood up. Zeke pulled his hooded sweatshirt's sleeves down and waited for the doctor's verdict along with the other group members.

"Well, is he bit?" Nick said.

"No… but we don't know him. He could be a danger to the group as well as the girls." Carlos said. "Besides, he might be working for Carver."

"I'm not." Zeke said.

"We will see." Carlos said.

"Carlos, come on. The boy can't be all bad if he's looking after a baby. She seems quite happy." Pete said. "Hell, if he was bad, he would have left her to die."

"He's right." Rebecca said.

"It doesn't matter. We don't know him. Thus, we can't trust him. He'll stay inside the shed until we can trust him." Carlos said.

"How am I supposed to gain your trust when I'm in a shed?" Zeke inquired.

"You'll come out and help us with tasks for a few days, then we'll decide if we can trust you." Carlos said.

"So what? I'm slave labor?" Zeke inquired while aiming a glare at Carlos.

"Call it what you want. What we're doing is trying to keep everyone safe." Carlos said. He turned to Luke and he said, "Take him to the shed."

"Carlos, I… I don't think that this is right." Luke said.

"We've all had to do things we're not proud of Luke, but we do it to protect ourselves." Carlos said.

"Luke, this is for the best." Nick said.

"I… I can't agree with this. Y'all can do this if you want, but don't expect me to go along with it." Luke said.

"Fine. I guess Nick will have to take him to the shed." Carlos said. He turned his head and made a gesture for Nick to escort Zeke to the shed.

Nick nodded and went up to the boy. "Go." Nick ordered.

Zeke sighed before he turned around and made his way to the shed. He left behind Genevieve's bag so the group could look after her. He just hoped that Carlos wouldn't go anywhere near her. Zeke could hear Genevieve start to whine which quickly became crying. He could hear Rebecca trying to soothe the toddler, but to no avail.

"It's alright, Gen!" Zeke called out to the toddler. However, a gunshot sounded which made him stumble. A bullet nearly hit him. He turned around and glared at Nick who had almost shot him.

"Don't do that!" Nick spat. He was acting like he was the one who had almost gotten shot.

Zeke got up and approached Nick. "If you ever shoot in my direction again, I will kill you. I can deal with your bullshit, but the minute you start threatening to take my life, I will kill you, understand?" Zeke snapped.

Nick was taken back a bit by the boy's sudden rage. However, it was followed by an angry expression forming on his face. "F*** you!" Nick snapped before he brought back the rifle to strike Zeke.

Zeke readied himself for yet another beating. However, it never came. Someone was holding Nick back from striking at him. "Get the f*** off of me!" Nick snapped as he wrestled away from the person who was holding him back. It was Pete who was holding him back.

"Then calm your ass down!" Pete snapped.

"He… He was giving me shit!" Nick said.

"And whose fault is that? If you can't get a hold of yourself, then I'll take him to the shed." Pete said. "You of all people should know better than to hit some boy."

Nick growled and he said, "Whatever." He turned back to Zeke and he said, "Go inside."

Zeke obliged and went inside the shed without another word. At least, Genevieve wasn't crying anymore. Rebecca must have calmed her down. The doors to the shed were slammed shut behind him. He could hear Pete and Nick argue over something, but he couldn't make it out. Zeke huffed and allowed himself to rest on the floor. The shed had some wood inside, a workbench, a tackle box, and some shelving. He wasn't sure if there was any tools or possible weapons inside. Either way, he was going to relax. He figured that Genevieve would be safe. Plus, he was tired. Looking after a toddler, no matter how patient she was, was exhausting. He laid down on the rough ground and allowed himself to drift off to sleep. There was nothing else he could do, and this was probably the best shelter he had been in for weeks.

 **Clementine's POV**

"What's going on out there?" Clementine asked.

"I um… I don't know." Sarah said.

Clementine quirked an eyebrow. Sarah was acting very strange. It was as if she was in another world. Finally, Clementine's questions were answered when the group walked inside.

"I'm really disappointed in you, Luke. You should have done the right thing." Carlos said.

"The right thing? Locking that boy up in that damn shed is the right thing to do now?" Luke snapped.

"We had to lock him up. It was out of the concern for the safety of our loved ones." Carlos said.

"No… That boy is not a menace, and this is wrong. This is exactly what Carver would do!" Luke said. He turned and stomped into the kitchen.

Carlos sighed before he shook his head. He turned his head to Sarah and he said, "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"Hmm…?" Sarah said as she looked up. "Oh yeah… I'm fine."

Carlos quirked an eyebrow before he said, "Alright…" He walked away from the girls and made his way upstairs.

"What's this-?" Clementine asked but she gasped when she saw the baby in her adoptive mother's arms. A big smile formed on her face and she said, "Is that a baby?"

Rebecca chuckled at her daughter's excitement and she said, "Yes she is. You want to hold her?"

"Yes please." Clementine said.

Rebecca walked over and sat down next to Clementine. She handed the toddler off to Clementine whose smile remained. The toddler looked at Clementine with wide eyes before she looked around the rest of the cabin. "She's so cute. Where did you find her?"

"That young boy had her." Rebecca said. "He said that she had never been around a woman before. Her mother died when she was born."

"Aw… that's sad." Clementine said as her smile faded into a frown.

"Yeah…" Rebecca said. She started to rub her daughter's back to help comfort her.

"What about her dad?" Clementine asked.

"The boy said that he got separated from the baby's dad." Rebecca said. "I guess it was recent since she seems to be doing okay."

"What's the boy's name?" Sarah asked.

"Zeke." Rebecca said. A small smirk formed on her lips and she said, "Now Sarah, are you starting to have a little crush on him."

"What? No! Of course not!" Sarah exclaimed with a surprised tone in her voice. She started blushing.

"I think you do." Rebecca teased.

"Do not." Sarah said as she looked away. Clementine knew it was a lie. She did see Sarah blush before she turned away. "I um… I think I'm going to go read a book or something." Sarah said before she got up and went upstairs.

Clementine turned back to her mother and she said, "I think she likes him."

"Oh, I do too… Now don't get any ideas. You're not allowed to start dating until you're in your twenties." Rebecca said.

"But that's so far away." Clementine said. "How about when I'm fifteen."

"Nope. Way too young." Rebecca teased.

Clementine rolled her eyes and she said, "You're no fun."

"Absolutely." Rebecca joked.

* * *

Hours passed by within the cabin. Clementine had spent most of the day playing with the toddler while Rebecca watched them. Alvin was outside keeping watch. Luke had joined him about an hour to go. He still seemed very upset. Nick was upstairs; he was probably sulking again or sleeping. Sarah was also upstairs. She was very quiet. It did make Clementine curious, but the child was more interested in playing with the baby. Finally, Carlos was busy making dinner for the group.

Pete was in the same room watching Clementine interact with the toddler. He walked over to Rebecca as Clementine showed Genevieve to put the blocks on top of each other.

"You better enjoy this time." Pete said as he sat down next to Rebecca. "Kids are fun, but teenagers are a pain."

"Trust me. I know. I'm not looking forward to her growing up." Rebecca said.

Clementine frowned and she said, "Why? I'd like to grow up."

"I know, but your daddy and I aren't ready. You're our first child, Clem." Rebecca said.

"I know, but once I'm grown up, I can help you guys." Clementine said.

"Don't focus on that, Clem. Just focus on being a kid. It doesn't last very long… unless you're considering my nephew." Pete said.

"He's had it rough." Rebecca said.

"We've all had it rough. He needs to grow up and stop acting like a kid." Pete said. "We got real kids in here that need us to step up. He's got to do the same."

"He'll come around. Try not to worry too much." Rebecca said.

Pete sighed and he said, "Alright… I'll try not to worry too much."

Carlos walked into the living room and he said, "Dinner's ready."

… **To be continued.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

There was so much tension at the dinner table. Clementine could see Pete, Luke, Carlos, and Nick glare at each other. There was no normal conversation between Clementine and Sarah tonight. The two girls continued to eat their dinner and stayed quiet. The only sound that could be heard was Rebecca talking to Genevieve and helping her to eat her food.

Tension finally reached its climax when Luke shook his head and he said, "We need to talk about that boy."

There was some grumbling from Carlos and Nick as their silverware hit their bowls. "You should have never brought him here! We're already falling apart because of him!" Nick snapped.

"We're falling apart, because you two won't stop and think!" Luke snapped at Nick.

Carlos looked over to Rebecca and he said, "Rebecca, you know that boy is dangerous. Think about your daughter. If that boy is working for Carver, he'll lead him here and take her away from us."

"We've already talked about this." Rebecca said.

"Come on Carlos. What do you want us to do? Kill him?" Alvin said.

"We have to do what's necessary." Carlos said. Sarah jumped at this and she looked down with a frown forming on her face.

"This is a boy's life that we're talking about! Do you even know what you're saying? Look, Pete and I were with him this afternoon. If there is anyone at this table who can make this decision, it's the two people who helped him out and actually got to know him." Luke said.

"He's right." Pete said. "The boy hasn't proven to be a threat yet."

"Hasn't proven to be a threat? He said that he would kill me!" Nick snapped.

"After you nearly shot his head off! It's no wonder that he lost his shit on you!" Pete snapped.

Nick gritted his teeth and he got up. "Whatever." Nick said before storming out of the kitchen.

Pete sighed before he got up and left the kitchen table.

"Alright… I think Gen here is done eating." Rebecca said. "I'd better go change her and get her ready for bed."

"Okay. Won't mind if I hang out with Sarah since I've played with Gen all day?" Clementine asked.

"Sure baby. You do what you want." Rebecca said. She kissed Clementine on the top of the head before she picked up Genevieve and left the room.

"Well… I'm going to turn in." Alvin said. He walked up to Clementine and kissed the girl on the cheek. "Night baby. Don't stay up too late."

Clementine giggled and she said, "Okay daddy." Alvin placed his bowl in the sink before he turned and left the kitchen.

The atmosphere was tense again as Luke and Carlos stared each other down. "Hey Clem, let's go play in my room." Sarah said.

"Yeah. Okay." Clementine said. She and Sarah took their plates to the sink and left the two men.

* * *

They walked up the stairs and Sarah whispered, "This is crazy. I've never seen my dad like this before."

Clementine frowned and she said, "I have… back at Howe's. It was when I first showed up. He didn't like me… He thought I was being mean to you."

Sarah sighed and she said, "That was my fault, Clem. I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. Let's just… do something… something that has nothing to do with that boy outside or about Carver." Clementine said. She hated it when the group was so worked up about Carver. She couldn't help but feel that she was to blame. Perhaps Carver wouldn't be chasing them if she had just stayed at Howe's, but she certainly would miss her adoptive parents. They gave her so much love and joy, and she didn't want to be separated from them.

"Yeah…" Sarah said. "Um… Clem… can I tell you a secret?"

"Uhh… sure." Clementine said. She was a bit caught off guard by her friend's sudden request. Sarah gestured her to come to her room. The two girls entered the room and Sarah shut the door. "Okay… what's this secret?" Clementine asked.

Sarah walked up to Clementine and leaned into the girl's ear. "I think I like-like Zeke." Sarah whispered.

Clementine's eyes widened. She looked to Sarah who was starting to blush a bit. "You like-like him?" Clementine whispered.

Sarah nodded and she said, "I… He's really handsome and he seems nice since he was looking after a baby… I don't know…"

"Well… maybe you can go talk to him." Clementine suggested.

Sarah shook her head and she said, "My dad wouldn't let me. Besides… I… I haven't had the best history with boys… They're usually really mean to me…"

"Sarah, that was before… you should at least try. Like you said, he took care of a baby, so he can't be all bad." Clementine said.

"But my dad…" Sarah said as she looked up to her friend.

"Sarah, I'm only going to tell you this once, but please, be a teenager and be rebellious, just this one time. Think about it, if you don't and this boy is forced to leave, you may never see him again." Clementine explained.

"I… I…. You're right… Okay… I have to do this… Thanks Clem…" Sarah said. She seemed a bit relieved and more relaxed. A smirk soon formed on her face and she said, "Though, you probably need to follow your own advice and try to be a kid for once."

"I'm a kid when I can be and I act like a grown-up when I have to be." Clementine said as she returned the smirk. "So… let's play a game."

Sarah scoffed and she said, "Okay. What game do you want to play?"

"MindTrap." Clementine said with enthusiasm.

Sarah sighed and she said, "Okay." She knew that game would take forever to set up and play, but it's not like Zeke was going anywhere. Besides, she knew that she would have to wait till everyone in the house was asleep.

"Yes!" Clementine cheered before she went to get the board game.

* * *

A couple of hours passed as the two girls finished their game of MindTrap. Clementine covered her mouth as she yawned. She was getting tired. "Clem, I think you need to go to bed. You're getting sleepy." Sarah said

"I guess you're right…" Clementine said. She helped Sarah clean up the board game before she made her way to the bed.

"You think everyone's asleep?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know… maybe." Clementine said as she buried herself under the covers of the bed that she shared with Sarah.

"Well… I'm going to take a blanket out to Zeke and maybe talk to him." Sarah said as she grabbed a blanket from the closet.

"Cool…" Clementine said. She was drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Wish me luck, Clem." Sarah said and she made her way to the door.

"Good luck." Clementine said before she finally fell asleep.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke's eyes opened when he heard the shed door open. He sat upright before rubbing his eyes. He saw the teenage girl from earlier. She had a blanket draped over her arm while holding a flashlight so she could see where she was going. "I um… Hi…" The girl said. She sounded nervous. On top of being nervous, Zeke could tell that she was shaking. He was sure it wasn't from the cold.

"Hi… You're Sarah, right?" Zeke said.

"I um… yeah. How'd you know?" Sarah said.

"That Carlos guy said your name earlier when he told you to stay inside." Zeke said.

"Oh right…" Sarah said. She took a deep breath and she said, "I um… I brought you a blanket just in case you were cold."

Zeke smiled and he said, "Thanks. I certainly appreciate it."

Sarah smiled and didn't seem quite as nervous. She handed him the blanket and looked to the boy as he covered himself with the blanket. "Much better. Thanks." Zeke said.

"You're welcome." Sarah said. "So…"

"Yeah?" Zeke said.

"I um… I don't know…" Sarah said. She went back to being nervous again.

"You want to join me?" Zeke asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Sarah smiled and she said, "That would be great." She walked over and sat down next to Zeke. The boy wrapped the blanket around her and she said, "Thanks."

"Sure thing." Zeke said.

"I um… so how have things been for you?" Sarah said. "Aside from being in this shed."

"Oh… I guess the norm… At least I found a group. By the way, how's Gen?" Zeke said. "I'm a little worried about her."

"She's fine." Sarah said. "Rebecca's taking care of her, and she had Clementine play with her all day."

Zeke's eyes widened at the mention of the young girl's name and his mouth dropped. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

Zeke shook his head to get out of his daze and he said, "Wait… you said Clementine, right?"

"Yeah… why? Do you know her?" Sarah said.

"I… If she is who I think she is, then yes, I know her in a sense. I was with this couple, Christa and Omid. Genevieve is their daughter." Zeke said. "They knew a young girl named Clementine."

"What?" Sarah said who was also surprised by this fact.

"Clementine… how old is she? Is she ten or something like that? Does she have dark brown, curly hair? Big amber eyes? Pretty small for her age? Does she wear a baseball hat that has the letter 'D' on it?" Zeke asked. He was asking every possible detail that he could remember from when he was with Christa and Omid.

"She's eleven and yes on everything else." Sarah said.

"My gosh…" Zeke said. "So… she's been safe this whole time… Christa and Omid would be relieved to know this." He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked to the hand's owner. It was Sarah.

"And she's happy. Rebecca and Alvin adopted her." Sarah said.

"That's a relief." Zeke said. "I'm glad that she was happy and safe this whole time… We all thought she was dead."

Sarah smiled and she said, "So what happened to Christa and Omid?"

Zeke sighed and he said, "Christa died giving birth to Gen… I was with Omid until recently. A group of scavengers must have gotten the jump on him. I had no choice but to run in the opposite direction. I had to keep Gen safe. Keeping her safe was my main priority."

"Wow… what did these scavengers want?" Sarah asked.

"Hard to tell." Zeke said. "I was too far away to make out anything. I guess some people just want to watch the world burn… take everything for themselves."

Sarah frowned in response. "I don't like how the world is now."

"Same here…" Zeke said.

"Ever wish that everything could return to normal?" Sarah asked.

Zeke pondered on the question; he thought about his past. He enjoyed having his younger brother, but he wasn't sure if he could deal with school or home life. "I don't know… It's a mixed bag for me." Zeke said. "My… My mom abandoned me and my little brother to climb the corporate ladder… My dad was an abusive drunkard… and I was bullied constantly while in school."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that… I got bullied a lot too." Sarah said.

"Hmm… looks like we got something in common." Zeke said.

"Yeah… I guess we do." Sarah said. She covered her mouth as she started to yawn. "Sorry… I guess I'm tired."

Zeke scoffed and he said, "I am too. You want to stay here or go back to the cabin?"

"I'm going to stay. I know I wouldn't want to be alone out here." Sarah said.

Zeke nodded and he said, "Okay. Thanks Sarah." He leaned back against the wall of the shed as Sarah cuddled up next to him. Zeke smiled before he wrapped his arm around the girl. He could get used to this.

 **Morning**

Zeke could faintly hear the shed door open. He ignored it and refused to open his eyes. He wanted to sleep some more. However, he would not get that sleep.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER!" Carlos bellowed.

Zeke stirred and tried to sit upright but he was grabbed by his neck and dragged over to the wall. He was slammed against the wall with Carlos's grip tightening around his neck. By this point, Sarah was awake. Zeke stared into Carlos's angered face as it become progressively harder to breathe. Carlos was choking him.

"Carlos. Carlos!" Pete exclaimed as he ran over to Carlos.

Zeke couldn't breathe. He was starting to lose consciousness.

"Dad! Please don't!" Sarah pleaded.

Zeke's vision started to fade until he heard a pained groan. Suddenly, the grip disappeared and he fell to the ground. He coughed as he tried to breathe again.

He looked up to see Pete backing away from Carlos with a glare aimed at the doctor. "Have you lost damn mind? What the hell was all that?" Pete inquired.

"He… He was… He had Sarah in here!" Carlos snapped.

Pete looked over to Sarah and he said, "Sarah, what's going on here?"

"Did he hurt you, sweetie? We'll kill him for touching you." Carlos said.

"No, stop." Sarah said. "I snuck out of the cabin last night to come see him."

"You what? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You do not just go and talk to strangers like that." Carlos scolded the girl.

"But… I like him." Sarah said with a frown.

"Sarah… we've talked about this. Boys will always be mean to you… They will only try to hurt you unless it's one of the adults." Carlos said.

"But… he's nice." Sarah said.

"Enough… go inside, now." Carlos said. "I'm very disappointed in you."

Sarah looked down before she turned and made her way to the cabin. After a few minutes had passed by, Carlos turned back to Zeke and he said, "If you ever touch my daughter again, I will kill you."

Zeke huffed as he stood back up. "You're not the first one to make a threat on my life, and you won't be the last." Zeke said.

"That's no threat. That's a promise. Stay away from daughter." Carlos said.

"Carlos, come on now… Your daughter is a teenager; it was only going to be a matter of time until she took an interest in boys." Pete said.

"No. She does not need a boyfriend… All she needs is me. That's it." Carlos said. He stomped away from the shed and went toward the cabin.

Pete shook his head and he said, "Look, I know you've probably had a rough night, but… could you help me cut some firewood? It would help the group to trust you more… maybe."

"As long as I don't have to work with the doc or Nick, then yeah." Zeke said.

"Alright." Pete said with a nod. He seemed a bit distracted when he said this. Zeke got up and walked alongside him to a flattened tree stump which acted as a base to chop some of the surrounding wood into useable firewood.

"This is a nice place." Zeke said as he grabbed a piece of wood and placed it on the stump. He picked up the nearby axe and he said, "I'm sure there are many who would kill to have it."

"Luke found it while we were at Howe's." Pete said. He took notice of the boy readying to chop the wood. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah." Zeke said. "This ain't my first time chopping up wood." He brought the axe back and brought it down on the piece of wood. Pete relaxed upon seeing that the boy had experience in chopping wood. "So, what is this Howe's place and who's Carver?"

"Sorry… I can't exactly tell you that." Pete said.

"And why's that?" Zeke asked.

"Well… everyone's got their horrible secrets that they want to forget. I won't lie and say that I hated Howe's, but… it certainly wasn't like this place. For now… we don't know you enough to tell you." Pete said.

Zeke sighed and he said, "I get it…" He also had a past that he ran from. However, that has all changed. Genevieve was his second chance. He wasn't going to let what happen to Decker happen to her which meant that he had to accept the past and learn from it to keep her safe.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: If you haven't guessed by now, this is a SarahXOC fic. Also… I never played MindTrap so I don't know how it works.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Okay… I know what you're all thinking.** _ **"Why are you just updating Old Scars? Why don't you update anything else?"**_

 **Well… the reason is because Independent requires a lot of concentration and thinking. I'm practically making an original story with that fic. As for Tender Moments… I am stuck… I still like the idea of Clementine being a baby, but I'm not sure where to go at the moment… I don't know how to end it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Clementine had finished her reading homework that was assigned to her by her mother. She was curious why Sarah seemed upset when she walked in. She wondered if she got caught last night. This would make sense since she wasn't in bed when Clementine woke up. Her curiosity got the better of her. She got up from her makeshift desk that Luke made and went to find Sarah and her mother.

It wasn't long until she found the two. She noticed that Sarah seemed to have been crying. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were puffy. "Thanks…" Sarah said.

"Are you okay now?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah… I just… I feel so conflicted." Sarah said.

"That's normal, sweetie. It's just a part of growing up." Rebecca said.

"What's going on?" Clementine asked.

Rebecca looked over to her daughter with a surprised look. "Clem? I… I thought you had reading homework to do."

"I got it done." Clementine said with a shrug.

"Dang it… I forgot you became a speed reader." Rebecca said. She sighed and she said, "Alright… Sarah was caught sleeping with Zeke and Carlos flipped out on them."

"Oh…" Clementine said as she cringed a little. She knew that her adoptive father would probably act the same way if he ever found out that she was with a boy.

Sarah perked up a bit and she said, "Oh yeah… Clem… Zeke knows Christa and Omid. In fact, Genevieve is their daughter."

"Wait! What?" Clementine exclaimed. Her face warped into a shocked expression. "I… It all makes sense now… No wonder Genevieve looks so familiar."

"I didn't know that… Maybe we should tell the group. That might make them relax a little… I know it won't do anything to deter Carlos, but…" Rebecca said.

"I got to go talk to him." Clementine said. She left the room and made her way downstairs.

"Clementine." Rebecca called out. She quickly caught up to the girl. Clementine turned around to see Rebecca walk up to her. "Sweetie, are you sure you're ready?" Rebecca asked as she slouched down to her daughter's eye-level. "What he might tell you… might be very upsetting."

"I have to know… I have had no idea what happened to Omid, Christa, Kenny, or Ben… but Zeke might know." Clementine said.

"Okay…" Rebecca said. She seemed a bit worried, but Clementine knew that she needed to find out what happened to what was left of her old group.

She went to the door to head outside but she was stopped by Carlos. "Where are you going?" She turned around to see him approaching her with a scowl on his face. He must have overheard her and Rebecca talking.

"I'm going to go talk to Zeke… He knew two people that were a part of my group." Clementine said.

"Absolutely not. My daughter isn't allowed around him and that goes double for you." Carlos said.

"I don't have to listen to you. You're not my dad!" Clementine snapped. It was a first for her and everyone in the cabin, even Carlos was surprised by her sudden outburst. "I haven't seen or heard from anyone in my first group in almost two years. I need to know what happened to them. No one is going to stop me."

Carlos grumbled and he said, "We'll see what your father thinks of that." He turned and walked away from her.

"Whatever." Clementine muttered. She still didn't like Carlos. She turned back to the door and went outside. She noticed Luke and some boy talking to each other. They seemed to be taking a break from doing chores. She walked over to the two while keeping her eyes on the boy who must have been Zeke. She could tell that he was an archer thanks to the bow and arrows that he had. She was surprised that the group didn't take that from him. She got closer and closer and could hear the boy's and man's conversation.

"Well… even though my folks are gone, I guess I consider this group my family…" Luke said. He chuckled and he said, "Heck, I think of Clementine as my little sister at times."

The boy scoffed. "Is she as annoying as a little sister?" He asked.

"Nah… she's fun. She and Sarah like to prank Nick. I usually join in." Luke said.

"Yeah… him…" The boy muttered.

Luke frowned and turned his head to address Zeke. "Listen, Nick has…" Luke paused. He turned his head to Clementine's direction. He must have seen her out of the corner of his eye when he turned his head to address Zeke. "Clem?" Zeke also turned his head. He was shocked to see her. He kept eying her with wide eyes.

"I… I need to talk to Zeke." Clementine said.

"I um… yeah… I'll be uh… nearby if you need anything." Luke said. He got up and walked away from the two. Clementine walked over and sat down where Luke was sitting.

"Well… It's nice to finally meet you." Zeke said. "Christa and Omid would talk about you non-stop… I can see why… You seem very innocent and kind… Both are really rare these days."

"I… I just want to be nice… like my first mom and dad…" Clementine said.

"I see… I guess Christa and Omid were my role models after… everything happened." Zeke said.

"Please… you have to tell me what happened to them… and Kenny and Ben…" Clementine said.

Zeke huffed and he said, "Okay… According to Christa and Omid, back at Savannah before Lee got to you, Ben fell… He wasn't in good shape. Kenny stayed behind in an alley to make sure he didn't suffer. That same alley got filled with walkers." Clementine frowned at that. She knew that they were gone. No wonder Lee didn't mention them to her. "Christa and Omid looked really hard for you… I eventually stumbled into a house that they were using to spend the night. They found out I was there, and after earning their trust, I went out to find you myself. I'm a good a tracker. I used to hunt deer for fun, so tracking is something I do really well in. I followed your tracks to the road… I figured someone found you and got you into a car."

"That's right… Luke and Tavia found me." Clementine said. "I spent a while with them up at Howe's. We had to leave recently."

Zeke nodded and he said, "What's the deal with Howe's anyway?"

Clementine huffed and she said, "Its leader is a tyrant… a psycho. He wants me… as his heir. He wants me to be the future leader."

Zeke sent a questioning stare to the girl. "You? No offense, but you look like you wouldn't harm a fly." Zeke said.

"I know… I don't look like much… but I'm actually decent with knives and guns." Clementine said.

"Where did you learn how to shoot?" Zeke asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Lee taught me how to shoot a gun. It was after my friend, Duck, died." Clementine said. "Luke's the one who taught me how to use a knife."

Zeke nodded and he said, "Well… I might as well tell you the rest… I was with Christa and Omid for a while, but… when Christa gave birth, she didn't make it…"

"Why not?" Clementine asked as she frowned.

Zeke cringed at that. He wasn't sure how to explain it to an eleven year old girl. "She got an infection and got really sick." Zeke said. He wasn't sure how to explain childbirth complications to the girl.

"Okay…" Clementine said. "And Omid?"

"I got separated from him recently. I think a couple of scavengers got the drop on him. I couldn't stay since I had Genevieve with me." Zeke said.

"I understand." Clementine said.

"So… how about you? Are you okay?" Zeke asked.

Clementine smiled and she said, "Yeah… I'm more than okay. I'm happy. I have a family again."

"That's good." Zeke said with a relieved smile.

"Yeah… Well… thanks for telling me what happened." Clementine said as she got up. "I wish you could come inside the cabin."

"Same here… Oh well… In time, they'll start to trust me." Zeke said.

"Yeah… good luck." Clementine said.

"Thanks kid." Zeke said. Clementine nodded before she walked away and went back to the house. She wasn't looking forward to Carlos glaring at her for who knows how long, but she was glad to have some closure on what happened to her first group… even if it was sad news that none of them made it.

The day soon shifted to evening. The group was at the dinner table again. Clementine noticed that Carlos was quite angry. He had a scowl aimed at her. The girl did her best to ignore him and continued to eat. The dinner table was filled with tension yet again.

Carlos cleared his throat and he said, "I think we need to talk about Zeke and how he's affecting the girls' behavior."

"Carlos…" Luke muttered.

"I'm not sorry for what I said." Clementine said. "I needed to know what happened to my group. They looked after me. In fact, I would be dead without them."

Carlos looked to Alvin and he said, "I thought you were going to talk to her."

"I was." Alvin said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But I talked to Bec first… Found out you were being confrontational."

"I was not." Carlos said. "I was simply worried about her safety."

"That boy hasn't proven to be a threat in any way… In fact, I'm going to take him down to the river tomorrow to help me get some fish… After that, he's coming inside." Pete said.

"No. That is not happening." Carlos said.

"Yeah… I don't know Uncle Pete…" Nick said. "That doesn't sound right."

"It ain't up to you two. The majority of this group wants him in here… He's a good kid. We need to give him a chance." Luke said.

"Can I come?" Clementine asked Pete.

"That's up to your mom and dad… and if you can wake up early enough." Pete said.

Clementine looked to her parents and she said, "Please, can I go with them?"

Rebecca chuckled and she said, "Okay baby."

"Yeah. Just make sure you listen to Pete and be careful." Alvin said.

"I will. Thanks." Clementine said.

"Uncle Pete, please rethink this. It's bad enough that you're dragging me into this but that kid too. Seriously?" Nick said.

"Why not? It'll give you two a chance to make up… In particular, it'll give you a chance to make up." Pete said with a stern tone in his voice.

"Hey, that was not my fault." Nick said.

"You know, Nick? I'm sick of hearing your excuses. When will you grow up and take responsibility for your actions?" Pete said.

Nick grumbled to himself before muttering, "Whatever…" He got up from the table and left to head upstairs.

Pete sighed and he said, "That boy is going to have to move on. I miss Connie too, but… he's going to have to step it up."

"We're all effected by Connie's death, but it's even harder on Nick. It's hard to lose a mother." Rebecca said.

"And yet, we've all experienced that pain." Luke said.

"It's not so simple… Seeing her like that… it really tears you up inside." Rebecca said.

"It's even worse when you can't do anything about it…" Clementine said. All the group members turned to her and she continued, "I couldn't put my parents down… If I had tried to, then I would have been eaten alive… I was in the middle of a herd of walkers."

"Wait… a literal herd?" Alvin said with a surprised look on his face.

"Impossible. They would have attacked you." Luke said.

"Sarah, go into the other room." Carlos said.

"I… um… okay?" Sarah said. She was caught off guard but she obliged. She was finished with her meal so it didn't matter to her if she was forced to leave the room. She got up and took her bowl to the sink. Once she had done so, she went into the living room.

Carlos had kept a stare on everyone to make sure that they didn't say a word until Sarah had left. "Alright… we can continue." Carlos said.

"I was covered, remember?" Clementine said to Luke.

"Covered? Wait… by that dark red blood? The walker's blood?" Luke said.

Clementine nodded and she said, "Lee covered me and we went straight through. He was already covered in blood." She could tell that her adoptive parents were cringing a bit. They probably didn't want her to talk about blood.

"So what? They think that you're one of them or something?" Pete asked.

"I think so." Clementine said.

"I don't think I would want to try it." Luke said.

"It was kind of a desperate situation." Clementine said. "We were in a city full of walkers, no ammo, no weapons, and no easy way out except by going through the herd."

"Damn… Sounds rough…" Alvin said.

"Why didn't you ever say anything about it?" Rebecca asked. She seemed concerned about her adopted daughter. Having to go through a horrifying experience such as that couldn't have been good for a girl who was nine at the time.

"It was never brought up until now." Clementine said with a shrug. "Plus, it's hard to think about the past at times."

"Oh honey…" Rebecca said. She placed a comforting hand on the girl's.

"It's okay… It doesn't hurt as much to talk about it anymore." Clementine said. Rebecca nodded before she looked over to Genevieve.

"Alright you… time to get you in a bath then it's bedtime." Rebecca said as she got up and picked up Genevieve.

"I think she's getting attached to you, Bec." Alvin said.

Rebecca smiled to the toddler who smiled back. "I think so too." Rebecca said. Genevieve said something, but it sounded more like baby babble. "Yeah?' Rebecca said as she carried the girl into the living room.

"She's cute." Clementine said with a smile on her face.

"Yeah she is." Alvin said. "Kind of gives you hope in this world. You don't see babies very often anymore."

"Well… we better turn in. Best to wake up early, Clem." Pete said as he got up from the dinner table.

"Okay." Clementine said. She got up from the table, but she wasn't the only one. It seemed everyone else was leaving the dinner table to either go into the living room or go upstairs.

In a couple of hours, the cabin became silent.

… **To be continued.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It's been a while… I think I'm losing steam. Plus, I have a full-time accounting internship for the summer. So that takes priority.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Clementine stood at the doorway of the shed. Zeke had woken up rather easily, but Nick was taking a long time to get outside. "Damnit… Where is that boy?" Pete muttered.

Finally, Nick stumbled out of the house and ran toward the group. "Okay… I'm here." Nick said.

"Good. Come on." Pete said. He walked into the woods with the teenager, child, and young man following him.

After walking for a few awkward minutes, Nick grumbled and he said, "I gotta take a piss." He left the group, but Pete refused to stop.

"Shouldn't we wait for him?" Clementine asked.

"Nah. He knows the way." Pete said. He turned his attention to Zeke and he said, "So… it seems Carlos is giving you a hard time."

"The guy is a complete nutcase. I'm surprised that you would allow someone like him around. It's dangerous to have people like him." Zeke said.

"Whoa. Hold up now… I… Carlos can be… rash, but he's just looking after Sarah. You can understand, right? I mean… you've been looking after Genevieve for how long now?" Pete said.

"Her whole life… but I still wouldn't take it out on some kid." Zeke said.

"I have to admit… Carlos isn't very nice." Clementine said.

"Clem, hush. You're not helping the situation. I'm trying to have us work as a group." Pete said.

"Some groups aren't meant to work, Pete." Zeke said. "I've seen it happen a couple of times. Now, I will admit that everyone else is okay… even Nick despite all the shit I've had to put up with from him."

"Try not to take it personally… The boy's been a wreck since his mother died." Pete said.

"Yeah… that was a hard day on everyone…" Clementine said with a frown.

"Yeah… it was." Pete said. There was a moment of silence among the three. Clementine kept thinking about Connie. She was so strong and fearless. She wished that she could be the same way. Her thoughts were broken up when she heard Pete. "Say, did anyone ever teach you how to shoot?" He was looking to Zeke. "And I do mean shoot properly. Any idiot with a finger can shoot."

"Yes… but I'm not a big fan of guns. They only attract walkers." Zeke said.

"That may be true, but it's still very important to know how to shoot… just in case you get stuck with fighting off people who armed with guns." Pete said.

"That's why I keep a gun with me." Zeke said. "But I still like my bow."

"I can understand that." Pete said as he walked past the fence that surrounded the cabin. There was a hole in it which allowed the three to walk through. "You know. Nick wasn't much older than Clem when I first took him hunting." Pete stopped as he continued to explain the story. "We came across this beautiful 13-point buck just standing there on the ridgeline." Pete then brought the rifle up as a demonstration of Nick holding it and continued, "The boy takes up the rifle... lines up the shot just like I taught him… then I hear him start whinin. He turns to me and says, 'I can't do it. I can't shoot it Uncle Pete. Please don't make me shoot it.'"

Zeke chuckled and he said, "Really? No way." Clementine smiled as she rolled her eyes. She has heard this story a few times, but it still hasn't lost its charm.

Pete smiled until he heard his nephew, ""Hey!" Nick exclaimed as he caught up with the man, teenager, and child. "Why didn't you wait?" Nick asked.

"You want us standing around while you're pissing on a tree? You know where the river is boy." Pete said. He turned back to the two and continued with the story, "Anyway, I grab the gun out of his hand before the big buck runs off, when BANG! The gun fires. The boy nearly gut shot me. And of course the buck gets away."

"Why are you going telling them this shit for?" Nick snapped.

"Because you almost blew his face off yesterday." Pete snapped. "It seems relevant. I'm just trying to let him know that it's nothing personal with you."

"Why are you always giving me such hard time?" Nick said.

"Because you're always giving someone else a hard time." Pete said.

"Fine…" Nick said. He turned to Zeke and he said, "I'm sorry for almost shooting you yesterday."

Zeke didn't respond. At least he did apologize, but Zeke wasn't sure if he could accept the apology after what had happened between the two.

Nick turned back to Pete and he said, "See… I knew he wouldn't accept my apology."

"The boy needs time, Nick. He's been out there in the thick of it." Pete said.

"Whatever…" Nick muttered and he walked past Pete.

"Leaving us again." Pete muttered.

"I know where the f****** river is." Nick snapped.

Pete shook his head, disappointed by Nick's attitude and said, "So, anyway… I came across that buck later that season. I shot it right in the neck. Brought it up to my sister's figurin she'd wanted to freeze some of the meat. Nick didn't speak to me for weeks. Sometimes, you got to play roll, even if it means the people you love hate you for it." Pete then rubbed the back of his neck as he considered his own words.

"He doesn't hate you." Clementine said.

Pete sighed and he said, "Nick's father wasn't around much… and he was an ass when he was. So, I couldn't be good, fun Uncle Pete. I had to raise him up right."

A moment of silence fell among the three until Clementine turned to Zeke and she said, "Why didn't you accept Nick's apology?"

Zeke shook his head. He was about to respond but then all three of them heard Nick call out.

"Uncle Pete!" Nick exclaimed.

Pete, Zeke, and Clementine ran to where Nick was. Zeke assumed that he was at the river. Pete led the way while Zeke and Clementine followed close behind. Zeke was surprised by how fast the younger girl was. "Nick?" Pete exclaimed. The three could finally see Nick and they ran into a clearing where the river was. "Oh, my stars and garters." Pete said as he looked around the area. There were bodies everywhere along the river bank. Pete went to observe one of the mangled bodies and shook his head in disgust. "They're full of holes." Pete said as he looked back to Zeke, Clementine, and Nick.

"Did… Did Carver do this?" Clementine asked.

"Clem." Nick hissed at the girl. He was probably upset at her for mentioning Carver around Zeke.

"Hard to tell…" Pete said as he got up and walked over to the three. "But it isn't your average gang of thugs… that much I know for sure."

"Was someone trying to send you a message? Does he know where we are?" Zeke asked.

Pete looked to Nick before looking to Zeke. "We can't be worried about that now. Check the bodies with us." He went back to the body that he was examining earlier. "Check these guys for ammo. We're running low."

Nick walked over to check another body which left Zeke to check a man with a leather coat on. Much like the others, he was riddled with bullets. Clementine joined Zeke and the looked the man over. Zeke checked his pockets but there was nothing in them. He checked the man's wrists. It appeared that his wrists were bound together by some rope and this man had tried to free himself.

"He was a prisoner." Zeke said.

Clementine nodded and she said, "This looks like it was Carver."

Zeke stood up and was followed by Clementine. The teenage boy looked over to a piece of land that was in the middle of the river and he said, "I see bodies over there."

Pete stood up and looked to the island. "This wasn't just your rinky-dink pissing match." Pete said.

"What was it then?" Nick inquired.

"FUBAR." Pete said before he went toward the water. He was probably going to cross it to get to the small piece of land in the middle of the river.

"Where are you going? We need to get the f***** out of here." Nick said.

"Got to check the rest." Pete said.

"No way! What for?" Nick exclaimed.

"Calm down and think about it son." Pete said as he crossed a shallow part of the river to get to the small island.

"Calm down? We need to get out of here now!" Nick exclaimed.

"Good grief… get a hold of yourself." Pete said.

"What if someone's alive, Nick?" Clementine asked.

"Who cares?" Nick muttered.

"Because that person might be willing to tell us what happened here. We need to do this now." Pete said.

"It's a bit of a stretch, Pete." Zeke said. "We're out in the open, and this looks like it happened recently."

"I know… but if we can find someone who's still alive, it'll be worth it. We need to know what happened." Pete said.

Zeke sighed and he said, "Alright." He made his way over to where Pete was with Clementine following behind him. He jumped onto a rock to get to the small island. He jumped off and looked back. Clementine mirrored his actions and got on top of the rock like he did.

"Stay over there and keep checking these." Pete said to Nick.

Clementine jumped off and joined the man and teenager. "You're a smart kid." Zeke remarked.

"I learn pretty quickly." Clementine said with a smirk.

"This is a dumb idea." Nick said as he looked to the surrounding forest.

"You know Nick, I don't like this either but sooner or later you're going to have to learn the simple truth." Pete said with a tang of frustration in his voice.

"What? That you're an asshole?" Nick inquired.

"That no one in this world is going to give a damn of whether you like something or not. You got to grow up son." Pete scolded.

"Whatever." Nick said and he stomped away to check on the other bodies on the river bank.

"Come on, Zeke." Pete said. "You too, Clem. You both want to help out? Keep an eye on that treeline. Whoever did this might still be out there… waiting for another sucker…"

"Alright…" Zeke said.

Upon not hearing a response from the girl, Pete and Zeke turned to her. Clementine was looking over to the opposite shore. The two men followed her line of vision to see several more bodies.

"Dammit… more on that side…" Pete muttered. "I'm going to check them. Clem, keep an eye on that treeline. Zeke, check these guys. See if there's anyone who's still alive." He made his way to the opposite side of the river.

Zeke sighed and he said, "Give me a heads up if you see anything."

Clementine nodded and she said, "You got it." She walked over to the edge of the island and scoped out the edge of the forest while Zeke checked the bodies. He didn't recognize many of the people, but there was obvious evidence that they were imprisoned and possibly tortured.

After checking the last body and making sure it wouldn't reanimate, Zeke stood up and noticed Clementine walking over to him. "What's up, Clem?" Zeke said.

"Are you and Sarah dating?" Clementine asked with a perplexed look on her face.

"Wait… what?" Zeke asked with wide eyes. He tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn't working. He must have looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Are you and Sarah dating?" Clementine asked. "I won't tell if you are." Her perplexed stare was disappeared and turned into a smile.

"I um… I don't think you need to know about that." Zeke said with a smirk starting to form on his face. It was amazing at how similar Clementine and Decker acted. His younger brother would have asked the same question if he was alive.

"Come on… Please. I'll try not to tease you two." Clementine said.

"I doubt that." Zeke said.

"Okay… maybe just a little bit." Clementine said with a playful smirk on her face.

Zeke chuckled and he said, "You and Decker would have gotten along really well."

"Who's Decker?" Clementine asked.

"My little brother. He didn't make it." Zeke said.

"Oh… I'm sorry." Clementine said. She started to frown.

"Don't be." Zeke said as he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "He's in a better place now."

Clementine nodded in response. The touching moment between the two was broken up when they heard Pete yell out in pain. "ARRGH!" Pete exclaimed. Zeke and Clementine looked over to see him backing away from a crawler. He took aim with his hunting rifle and killed the creature.

"Uncle Pete!" Nick exclaimed.

"I'm fine." Pete huffed. "I…I just lost my footing. Dammit… Dammit!" Zeke looked to Pete with worried eyes. He could see some blood coming out of his ankle.

"Walkers…" Clementine said. Zeke turned and noticed that several walkers were coming out of the surrounding forest. The gunshot must have attracted the undead creatures.

"Shit lurkers!" Nick exclaimed.

I'm out of ammo!" Pete exclaimed.

"Come this way!" Nick yelled as he started firing at the walkers.

"Son of a bitch… dammit you get your asses over here, now!" Pete yelled. Zeke and Clementine could go to either one.

"We have to go with Pete. My mom and dad told me to listen to him." Clementine said.

"Alright. Come on." Zeke said. He took the girl's hand and ran across the river.

"Come on, come on!" Pete exclaimed as he waved his arm to Zeke and Clementine. Suddenly, a walker grabbed him from behind. Pete was able to get away from the walker's grasp, but as a result, he lost his balance and fell onto a rock with the walker landing on top of him. Pete kept the walker at a distance by putting his foot to its chest. It growled and snarled as it tried to reach Pete. The older man struggled with the walker while Zeke stopped and aimed his bow at the walker. In a couple of seconds, he released the arrow which killed the walker instantly.

Clementine ran over to Pete. "You okay?" She pulled the dead walker off him and he got to his feet.

However, the relief from the struggle was short-lived when Clementine, Zeke, and Pete heard Nick yell. They looked over to see him hit a couple of the walkers with the stock of his rifle.

"Nick! Hold on!" Pete yelled. He, Clementine, and Zeke went to the edge of the river to get back onto Nick's side. However, Nick was surrounded with only one way out, which was the forest behind him. He bolted out of the area and into the forest. "Nick!" Pete shouted.

Clementine turned around upon hearing several growls that were increasing in number and were getting louder which meant they were getting closer. Several walkers were heading towards her, Zeke, and Pete. "We have to go." Clementine said.

Pete looked over to the river bank where his nephew was. It was apparent that he was hesitant to leave especially not knowing if Nick was okay, but he had no other choice. Pete started to limp away as Clementine and Zeke ran next to him. Several walkers were in pursuit of the three, but they were advanced in decaying and were too slow to catch up. However, the three survivors soon found out that the forest was filled with once dormant walkers.

* * *

Clementine, Zeke, and Pete finally found sanctuary within an abandoned van. Walkers started to thrash on the van in a desperate attempt to get in which was unsuccessful.

"Well, they shouldn't be able to get through that." Pete said.

"But on the downside, we're stuck in here." Zeke said.

Pete leaned back and slid down one of the walls of the van. Clementine could now see that Pete was starting to become pale and there was a noticeable blood patch on his leg that was in the shape of a human chomp. "What are you looking at? Staring ain't polite." Pete said.

"Pete… it's time to be blunt…" Zeke said with a solemn tone in his voice.

"Wh-What are you going to do?" Clementine asked.

Pete sighed as he accepted defeat. The two children were too observant, so it was no use in trying to fake it. His eyes went to a hack saw that was on one of the van's shelves. "Hand me that there." Pete said as he indicated the saw.

"Cutting it off won't work." Clementine said.

"Says who?" Pete asked.

"It didn't work my friend, Lee." Clementine said with a frown on her face.

"Pete… we don't have any medical supplies. Assuming you cut it off now… you'll just bleed out…" Zeke said.

Pete huffed and he said, "Well, it's better to try than to wait for the alternative to happened." He grabbed the saw from the shelf as Clementine got up and backed away. Pete straightened his bitten leg and pressed the saw against it. Zeke huffed as he looked away. Clementine closed her eyes as Pete's heavy breathing emanated throughout the vehicle. A few tense-filled seconds passed by until a metal clang was heard. The two looked back to Pete. "I'd bleed out like a stuck pig! What are you gonna do? Carry me outta here on your backs!" Pete exclaimed before he released a sigh. "Hell… just give me a minute."

"Try to get some rest." Zeke said.

"There's a lot of stuff in here. Maybe there is something we can use." Clementine said.

Pete gave a pained grunt in response.

"I don't know Clem." Zeke said. The situation didn't look good for any of them.

"Well… I'm going to give it a try. It'll at least give me something to do." Clementine said.

… **To be continued.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Clementine looked around the vehicle until she looked to driver's seat. "Ever learned how to drive?" Zeke asked.

Clementine looked to him with a smirk. "I'm eleven. What do you think?" Clementine said.

"Maybe yes." Zeke said as he returned the smirk.

Clementine rolled her eyes and she said, "No… I never learned how to drive."

"Bummer… Who knows… if we find a working vehicle, maybe one of the adults could teach you." Zeke said.

"I'll pass." Clementine said. She looked down to the steering wheel and her eyes widened. "Hey… the keys are still in the thing…" She was referencing the ignition.

"Really… well let's see if it'll work." Zeke said. Clementine got up and sat down in the passenger seat while Zeke climbed into the driver's seat. Zeke turned the key, but the vehicle wouldn't start.

"Out of gas…" Pete muttered.

Zeke huffed before he got out of the driver's side. He walked over to a compartment and checked it for anything that they could use. He found some cigarettes. All of the memories of his abusive father came back to him. He remembered being six and pleading with his father to stop beating him. All the man would do is shout shut up before hitting him again. This was followed by his father walking away and pulling out a cigarette.

"Zeke?" Clementine said. The boy snapped out of the flashback and turned to the girl. "Is everything okay?" The girl asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I… um… yeah…" Zeke said. "Yeah… I um… I need to rest up…" He got up and he sat behind the driver's seat of the van.

Clementine was still concerned. He seemed to be in his own world. She looked into the compartment that he was looking at and saw some cigarettes in it. "What's in there? Anything we can use?" Pete asked. Clementine got up and showed the box of cigarettes to Pete. "Gimme one of those." Pete said. Clementine approached Pete as Pete continued, "Probably tastes like pine tar by now." Clementine then handed the box of cigarettes to Pete and Pete asked, "You got a light?"

Clementine shook her head. "Sorry… I would have brought one if I had known that we were going to be stuck out here."

Pete huffed before he looked to Zeke. "Hey Zeke… you got a light."

Zeke looked over to Pete. He seemed okay at first but then a horrified look found its way on his face.

"Zeke…" Clementine said.

Zeke shook his head and he said, "Yeah…" He huffed before he took out a lighter from his backpack and slid it over to Pete and Clementine. Pete picked up the lighter and he lit the cigarette.

He coughed out some smoke before he said, "Well… that tastes about as bad as I thought it would.

Clementine looked over to Zeke before she looked to Pete. "Do you think Zeke's okay?"

Pete looked over to the boy before he looked to Clementine. "I don't think so… Maybe you should go talk to him. We'll be waiting here for a while." Pete said.

Clementine nodded before she got up and walked over to the teenager. "Zeke?" Clementine said.

The teenager looked up with a shocked stare before he released a breath. "My gosh… something's wrong with me…"

Clementine sat down next to him and placed a comforting hand on his back. "Do you want to talk about it? You might feel better if you do."

"I um… I didn't grow up in a loving household. I know you don't know me all that well, but… I usually try to be sarcastic and positive so I can just… forget everything. Forget my childhood…" Zeke said.

"What happened?" Clementine asked.

"My… My father was an abusive drunkard… We lived in a shack of a house in the middle of the woods… He would go drinking all day while Decker and I went to school. The only way we got money was from my mom… I guess she wasn't completely heartless." Zeke explained.

"Where was your mom?" Clementine asked.

"She… She left to climb the corporate ladder… you know… get ahead in her career." Zeke said. "She would send some money to me and Decker, but… that wasn't enough… My dad, if you even want to call him that, couldn't hold down a job with his heavy drinking and smoking habits."

"I'm sorry, Zeke…" Clementine said. She hugged the boy in an attempt to comfort him. He scoffed as he returned the hug.

"You're very friendly." Zeke said.

"I feel kind of guilty. I grew up being an only child… mom and dad coddled me to no end. Then Lee took care of me… and when he was gone, I was immediately taken to Howe's where Rebecca and Alvin adopted me in a few months." Clementine said. "You and your brother didn't have anyone…"

"My brother had me for what that was worth." Zeke said. "I had Christa and Omid for a while… I was pretty cold after I lost Decker…"

"I understand…" Clementine said. She released Zeke from the hug and she looked around the van. "What do we do now?" Clementine asked.

Pete took another whiff of the cigarette and said, "Now, we wait." Pete replied.

Clementine sat next to Zeke and hugged her legs. Pete was right. All they could do now was to wait for the herd outside to lose interest or better yet wait for rescue to arrive. Her thoughts were interrupted when Pete said, "Zeke… come here."

Zeke huffed before he made his way over. He didn't seem to be on edge like he was earlier. Pete whispered something in his ear which made the boy jump back. "You can't be serious?"

"I am… You have to keep Clem safe. There are not many people like her left in this world. You can't let her die in here." Pete said.

Zeke sighed and he said, "And what about Nick?"

"He'll be fine… The boy has to grow up at some point." Pete said.

"Pete… what you're asking me to do is insane. Just… think about this." Zeke said.

"I have… My mind is made up." Pete said.

Zeke huffed before muttering, "Okay…" Zeke went back over to Clementine.

"What was that all about?" Clementine asked.

Zeke didn't respond until a few seconds later. "Try to get some rest. We're going to be moving out as soon as that herd outside clears up."

"What about Pete?" Clementine asked.

"Keeping you safe is… what he wants." Zeke replied.

Clementine's eyes widened and she said, "You're not going to leave him here, are you?"

"Clem… there's not much else I can do. I can't carry him…" Zeke said.

"No, I'm not leaving my friend." Clementine said. "I've lost so many friends already… I'm not losing another." Zeke didn't respond. He just leaned back and closed his eyes.

Clementine looked to Pete with tears starting to form in her eyes. She didn't want to leave him. Eventually, she leaned onto Zeke and fell asleep as well.

 **Hours Later**

A cough woke Zeke up. He looked around and noticed that it was night time. The van was dimly lit by the stars and moon from outside. Zeke looked over to Pete who was on his side. The coughing continued. Zeke nudged Clementine awake. The girl yawned before rubbing her eyes. Zeke got up and went toward Pete. He pulled out an arrow from the quiver and aimed the bow at Pete.

"Pete… you still there?" Zeke said.

Pete groaned before he looked to Zeke. He was even more pale than before. In addition, there was blood around his mouth and chin. "I feel like ten pounds of shit in a five pound sack…" Pete muttered. Zeke placed the arrow back into its quiver before looking outside. It seemed that the herd had dispersed.

"It looks like we're clear." Zeke said.

"Then what are you waiting for… Go…" Pete said.

"What about you?" Clementine asked. "You're coming with us."

Pete looked back and he shook his head. "This is the end of the line for me, Clem." Pete said.

"No… you have to come… We can't just leave you here to die…" Clementine said.

"Clementine… you're a good kid… very compassionate… but… I'm not going to put you and Zeke in danger… I don't have much left in me… You're just going to have to go…" Pete said.

"Clem… Pete's right…" Zeke said.

Clementine looked down before she hugged the older man. She whimpered a bit as the older man returned the hug. "It's okay… You stay safe… and listen to Zeke until you get back." The two separated from the hug as the girl rubbed her eyes. She nodded her head in response.

Clementine inched her way to Zeke. Zeke took his backpack off and pulled out a handgun. He gave it to Pete and he said, "It's up to you if you want to use it…"

Pete nodded and he said, "Keep Clem safe."

"I will." Zeke said. He opened back door to the van and climbed out. Clementine followed him. Zeke took the younger girl's hand and tried to sneak around the walkers but to no avail. The walkers noticed them immediately. "Run…" Zeke whispered and he ran with Clementine. The younger girl was able to keep up with him rather well. They kept running throughout the rest of the night.

 **Morning**

Zeke and Clementine ran to the back door of the cabin and huffed to catch their breaths. "You okay?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah…" Clementine said in between her huffs.

Zeke looked back to the door and he said, "Alright… well… we're in for a shit-storm."

"Swear…" Clementine said.

Zeke rolled his eyes before he grabbed the doorknob and turned it. He stepped inside with Clementine following him.

The teenage boy and the child turned to the table to see Rebecca and Carlos at the table. Rebecca got up and ran to Clementine. She hugged the girl and she asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm okay…" Clementine said.

"What happened?" Carlos inquired. "Where is Pete and Nick?" He seemed very annoyed. "It has been hours… where are they?"

"Walkers separated us…" Zeke said. "We were down by the river… there were a lot of bodies there."

Rebecca separated from Clementine and she looked to Zeke. "Luke and Alvin went out looking for you. Did you see them?"

Zeke shook his head and he said, "Pete, Clem, and I have been stuck in a van for half a day."

"Oh no…" Rebecca said.

"That high body count must have been caused by Carver…" Carlos said. "You must have brought him here."

"Are you kidding? I don't ally with psychopaths." Zeke said.

"We need to go out there." Rebecca said to Carlos. She sounded more determined and serious than usual.

"Just hold on…" Carlos said.

"My husband is still out there!" Rebecca exclaimed in a panic. "Get the guns!"

Carlos clenched his teeth before walking off into the living room.

"Alvin and Luke went out looking for you… I would have gone, but I didn't want to leave Genevieve…" Rebecca said. She turned to Zeke and she said, "Listen… thank you for looking after my daughter, but I need you to be in charge until we come back."

"Don't worry… I'll hold down the fort." Zeke said.

"Thank you." Rebecca said.

"Do you have to go, mommy?" Clementine said. "I just got back…"

"I know baby… but daddy's still out there… I have to go find him along with Luke and Nick." Rebecca said.

"Okay…" Clementine said as she lowered her head. She was not happy that her adoptive mother was going out there. Rebecca kissed the girl on the head before she stood upright. Carlos returned to the room with the guns. He handed Rebecca a hunting rifle and the two started to go out the door.

However, Carlos turned around and addressed Zeke. "Stay away from Sarah." Carlos said with a scowl on his face.

Zeke crossed his arms over his chest and he said, "How about you let her make her own decisions for once?"

Carlos shook his head and went outside to help with the search. He slammed the door behind him which made Clementine shutter. "He really doesn't like you…" Clementine said.

"Yeah… I know…" Zeke said. He turned to the girl and he said, "Let's go find Sarah… I'd imagine Gen is not up yet."

"Okay." Clementine said. She followed behind Zeke as they left the kitchen and went up the stairs to find Sarah.

Once they entered her room, they caught a quick glance of her holding an old camera. "Say cheese." Sarah said before a flash of light blinded Zeke and Clementine. It startled them for a second, but their eyes quickly adjusted to the flash. Once, their eyes had adjusted, they saw Sarah pull out a picture from the camera; the camera itself looked very old.

"Where'd you find this dinosaur?" Zeke joked.

Sarah giggled and she said, "I found it under the house. There was a lot of neat stuff down there." She handed the camera to Zeke and she said, "Here. Take a picture of me and Clem. Please."

"Alright." Zeke said as he accepted the camera. Clementine smiled before she ran over and joined Sarah.

"Cheese." Sarah and Clementine said. Zeke took the picture. He lowered the camera and pulled out the photo.

"Hey… um… where's my dad?" Sarah asked.

"He'll be back, Sarah…" Clementine said.

The teenager sighed and she said, "He's doing it again… isn't he? He's being overprotective…"

Zeke nodded his head and he said, "You need to know what's going on out there."

Sarah looked up to him with a shocked look. "I don't know if you should. My dad may not let me see you again… He may force you to leave…" Sarah said.

"Sarah… you need to know this… You don't have to tell your dad… but you do need to know what's going on." Zeke said.

Clementine stayed silent. She knew that Zeke was right.

"I… Okay… What do I need to know?" Sarah said.

"First, there are walking corpses out there. They used to be normal people, but the virus got to them one way or another. You can become one of them if you're bit or if you die and your brain is intact. Second, people are very dangerous. If you don't know the person, more than likely that person will try to hurt you." Zeke explained. Given the circumstances, Sarah was taking it well. She did cringe a bit but that was understandable.

"Okay… anything else...?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah… you'll need to know how to use a gun." Zeke said.

"Okay… I actually found a gun under the house. There's no bullets in it." Sarah said.

"That'll work. Go ahead and get it." Zeke said. "I'm going to go check on Gen."

He walked off with Clementine following him close behind. He checked Rebecca's and Alvin's room to see the toddler playing with some blocks.

"I'll play with her for a little while so you can teach Sarah." Clementine said.

"Okay. Come get me if she gets hungry, starts crying, or needs changed." Zeke said.

"Okay." Clementine said. She walked into the room and sat down in front of Genevieve. Zeke left the room and went to find Sarah.

He found her looking through her nightstand. She pulled out a handgun and showed it to Zeke. "Here it is. I'm a little nervous and excited." Sarah said.

"That's normal." Zeke said. He got behind her and had her raise her arms up. Zeke could tell that he was a tad bit taller than her. He helped her get a good grip on the gun. "There. That should be the way you shoot. We'll get some practice in at some point down the road."

"Cool. I feel good about this." Sarah said. She turned around with the gun and she asked, "What should I shoot first?" Zeke dived to the ground to avoid the gun's aim. He looked up to her with a serious look on his face. "Sorry…" Sarah said as she lowered the gun.

Zeke sighed and he got up. "…It's fine. Just don't aim that thing unless you want to kill someone. And I will warn you. The first kill is always going to be the hardest." Zeke said. "You won't be ready for it."

"I don't know if I want to do this anymore…" Sarah said.

"You have to, Sarah. It's how we survive." Zeke said.

Sarah nodded and she said, "Where's Clem?"

"She's looking after Gen." Zeke said.

"Oh okay…" Sarah said. She paused for a few seconds before she said, "So… um… Do you like me?"

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: Perfect time for a cliffhanger.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Zeke looked to the teenage girl with wide eyes. "Wait… what?" Zeke said.

"I um… Do you like me…. You know as in… well you know…" Sarah said. A light blush started to form on her face as Zeke also started to get red. He didn't have much experience with girls.

"Well… I um…" Zeke said.

"Come on… just tell me… We may not have another chance any time soon." Sarah said. "Look, I can be a bit oblivious at times, but I know my dad doesn't like you and Clem is too little to understand."

Zeke sighed and he said, "Okay… I do have a crush on you…"

"See. That wasn't so hard." Sarah said with a smile forming on her lips.

"I know it's just… I haven't had the best of luck with girls…" Zeke said.

"Did you ever date before all of this happened?" Sarah asked.

"Kind of… It never really worked out. Besides, it was more like puppy love. I didn't actually understand it all." Zeke said.

"Oh okay… Do you understand it now?" Sarah asked.

"I think so." Zeke said. "I know that I think you're cute, nice, fun, and pretty."

Sarah blushed even more and she said, "No one's ever said that to me. Remember when I said that I was bullied a lot?" Zeke nodded his head and the girl continued. "I got bullied by both girls and boys. I thought I could find at least one friend who was like me, but… I didn't have any luck… Eventually, the bullying got so bad that my dad pulled me out of the public school and put me in a private school."

"Did the private school prevent any further bullying?" Zeke asked.

"No… they really cracked down on that stuff. But it was kind of overbearing. It felt like the staff was watching every little thing we did. Plus, I hated the uniform. It was an ugly grey dress…" Sarah said.

Zeke chuckled and he said, "Well… you got through it."

"Yeah…" Sarah said. She shook her head and she said, "I'm sorry… I'm just complaining. I know you don't want to listen to that… How about we do something like um… maybe kiss. I mean we are dating now, right?"

"I um… If that's what you want. I'm not sure if that would um…" Zeke trailed off. The question was abnormal at best.

"Please." Sarah said with pleading eyes. Zeke looked into the girl's eyes before he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. There was something. Slowly, the two started to hug each other. Finally, after a few seconds, they separated. "That was so cool." Sarah said with a huge grin on her face. "My first kiss!" She wrestled out of Zeke's grip who was very red at this point. Sarah giggled and she said, "No offense but you're as red as a cherry."

Zeke shook his head and he said, "Speak for yourself."

Sarah laughed at that. "I um… I don't know what to think… I mean… I want to like it. I've always wanted a boyfriend, but I don't know about that kiss." Sarah said.

"Well… we might still be a bit young and we're definitely inexperienced. This was my first kiss too." Zeke said.

"Oh okay… so it's not a bad thing if I didn't feel all that much… I mean… I thought I would feel something more from my first kiss." Sarah said. "Don't get me wrong. I did feel something and I liked it. I just… I thought it would be something more."

"It's normal, Sarah." Zeke said. "Just like anything that you do for the first time, it starts off weird and unusual. We'll get better as time goes on."

Sarah's smile returned and she said, "That's good. Thanks Zeke. I'm glad you're not a bully."

Suddenly, Clementine entered the room with Genevieve in her arms. The toddler had a pacifier in her mouth. "Clem?" Sarah said.

She turned to the two teenagers and she said, "Sorry to interrupt your make-out session-"

"We weren't making out." Zeke and Sarah said at the same time.

Clementine rolled her eyes and she said, "I wasn't born yesterday. Also, it's gross. Anyway, I think Carver's at the door."

"Are you sure?" Zeke asked.

Clementine nodded in response.

Zeke went to the door. He turned back and he said, "You three need to hide."

"I can take care of that. Just see if you can get rid of him or something." Sarah said. Zeke nodded before he left the room.

Zeke went downstairs but was surprised when he heard the door open. He saw a man with a brown coat enter the house. He eyed up Zeke and he said, "Rather rude to not answer the door."

"Well, I'm sorry your majesty. I was looking after my baby sister. I didn't notice the knocking until now." Zeke lied. His tone was quite sarcastic.

The man looked to him with an offended stare and he said, "Don't be disrespectful."

"The way I see it, you only get respect when it's earned, and so far, you haven't earned an ounce of my respect yet." Zeke said.

"Touché." The man said. "Let's start over. What's your name?"

"Ezekiel." Zeke said.

"Ezekiel? You folks religious or something?" The man said.

"I don't think." Zeke said. "So what's your name?"

"Me? My name is George." The man said. He looked around and he said, "This is a real nice place. So, is it just you and your baby sister? What's her name?"

"Gen." Zeke said. Zeke could tell that there was something off about the man. Clementine was probably right. This must have been Carver.

"Hmm… interesting name." George said. "Anyway, I'll cut to the chase. I'm out here looking for my people. You see… They've been gone a long time and I'm afraid they've gotten lost. A couple of farm boys and an old man, a Spanish man and his daughter… quiet girl. She's a bit shorter than you. A big black guy about this big." He showed how big the man's stomach was with his arms before he continued, "A pretty little lady, and a smart little girl… She's a little over eleven right now."

"That's a lot of people to lose." Zeke said.

"Tell me about it… This whole damn thing is a mess." George said. He turned to the kitchen and he went inside. Zeke followed behind and entered the kitchen. George was looking around until he spotted the sink. "Hmm… lots of plates for just one person and a baby…"

"I don't exactly have a lot of time to do dishes. I'm too busy looking after Gen." Zeke said.

"Hmm… I guess that makes sense." George said.

Zeke looked around and noticed a knife on the counter. He would have to make sure that George wouldn't make a move for the knife.

"So, you just passing through or you've been here for a while?" George asked. Zeke looked back over to the man as he continued, "Listen kid. I hope you're not going north hoping to find Shangri-La. I'm not sure why anyone would leave after finding a place like this."

"Not sure… I guess it's a good enough set up for now." Zeke said.

"Exactly. Too many people these days are heading up north… They won't find anything up there. It's just like here… a whole lot of nothing." George said.

"The cold could slow down the walkers." Zeke said.

"Yeah, well that's not worth the trade-off to me." George said. Zeke eyed the knife again and looked back to George. George noticed this and started to make his way over to the counter.

Zeke grabbed his bow which rested across his body and readied himself. "Relax. I'm just putting it back." George said.

"Can't ever be too careful." Zeke said.

"Hmm… very true." George said. He placed the knife in the drawer and turned back to Zeke. He walked out of the kitchen and went into the living room. Zeke followed him. He still had his bow in hand. He saw George approach the sofa. Zeke walked over as George looked at a shirt that was on the sofa. "I used to know someone who always wore shirts like this… a real smug son of a bitch."

"I guess you two didn't get along." Zeke said.

"Hmm… we had moments of cooperation, but in the end, he still betrayed me." George said. There was a loud noise from upstairs.

"What was that?" George asked.

"It might have been Gen." Zeke said.

"Maybe…" George said. He pulled out a gun and went upstairs.

"Whoa hold on…" Zeke said. "How do I know that you're not going to shoot Gen. If there was someone in here other than me, she would be wailing right now."

"As you said it earlier, you can't be too careful." George said. He made his way up the stairs. Zeke followed behind the man. He couldn't believe the situation that the Sarah and the younger girls were about to be in.

George opened the door and aimed the gun.

Zeke made it inside as well to see Genevieve. She was on the floor playing with blocks but had since stopped and started to whimper at the sight of George. Zeke walked past George as Genevieve started to cry in fear. "Sh… it's okay." Zeke said as he picked up the toddler and started to bob her in his arms.

"Hmm… sorry… I guess I should have taken you at your word." George said.

"Will you leave now?" Zeke asked. "Your people are not here… as far as I can tell."

"Very well…" George said. However, he looked around the room until he noticed a picture on the floor. He picked up the picture and sent a sinister looking smile toward Zeke. "Who are these two?" George asked as he held up the picture of Clementine and Sarah.

Zeke didn't flinch. "I don't know." Zeke said. "I hadn't seen that picture until now. Must have belonged to the people who were here last."

"Liar." George said. He went up to Zeke and took hold of him. He pushed him against the wall in the hallway and started choking him. Genevieve had fallen out of Zeke's grasp in the attack and she was now balling on the floor. George continued to strangle Zeke as the boy tried to fight back. "You know what happens to liars, boy? They die." George said.

Zeke gritted his teeth and pulled out his knife from its holster. He plunged the knife into Carver's arm. The man groaned in pain and released his grip on Zeke and stepped back from him. Zeke gasped for air before he went for his bow.

George pulled out the knife and he said, "This will be a lot easier if you die now."

"Not happening, Carver." Zeke said. He pulled back the arrow and aimed it at Carver. The older man lunged for Genevieve who was still on the ground crying. Zeke aimed the bow but stopped when Carver got hold of Genevieve. The same knife that Zeke had used to keep her alive for so long was now being used threaten her life. She immediately stopped crying and looked to Zeke with a worried stare. "Don't…" Zeke said.

"It seems that I found your Achilles heel." Carver said with a smirk forming on his face. "So how about a little exchange? Your life for hers unless you want me to slit her throat."

The door opened from behind Zeke. He turned to see Clementine standing at the doorway. "Clementine." Carver said with a smile. "I was wondering where you were."

Clementine had a gun in her hand. She looked to Carver with an intense stare. "You're going to let her go and leave." Clementine said.

"Or what? We both know that you don't have the heart to shoot me." Carver said. "After all… you might shoot the baby by accident."

"You're right." Clementine said. She turned the gun on herself. "But I'm not going to shoot you. If you don't leave now, you can say goodbye to your heir." Zeke's eyes widened. The girl was going to commit suicide! Or… Zeke noticed that it was the same gun that was used to teach Sarah. The gun wasn't loaded. However, Carver didn't know that. For all he knew, the gun was loaded.

Carver was also astonished. His smile had faded and a look of worry appeared on his face. "Now… let's talk about this." Carver said.

"I'm going to start counting." Clementine said. Her finger was nearing the trigger.

Carver gritted his teeth before dropping the baby and the knife to the ground. "Hmm… well played Clementine. Till we meet again." Carver went down the stairs while Zeke went over and picked up Genevieve. They soon heard the door slam from downstairs.

Clementine released a breath before tossing the gun aside.

"Clem… don't get me wrong… Thanks for helping me back there, but don't ever put a gun to your head ever again." Zeke said.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Clementine said. She shook her head and she said, "I don't feel good… I'm going… I'm going to go to bed for a little while."

"Okay… Sarah and I will come check on you every once in a while." Zeke said.

Clementine nodded before she went into the room that she came out of. Zeke turned his head when he heard Sarah coming out from under the bed. "Is everything okay?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know…" Zeke said. "Carver nearly strangled me, and both Clem and Gen are scared to death… but no one is physically hurt."

Sarah nodded and she said, "I can take care of Gen if you want to go talk to Clem."

"Yeah… that might be for the best." Zeke said. He handed Genevieve off to Sarah. The toddler whimpered at first but she seemed to calm down a bit when Sarah talked to her.

"It's okay." Sarah said to Genevieve. "Let's play with some of the blocks." Zeke walked over to the doorframe and watched Sarah interact with the toddler. He then went into the room where Clementine was. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to where she laid.

"I've been where you're at right now…" Zeke said. "Scared what you're willing to do to keep your friends or family safe."

Clementine sat upright and she said, "I did the right thing…"

"You just went about it the wrong way." Zeke said. "I understand. I did the same thing for a while. At least you realized it immediately."

"Are you going to tell my mom and dad?" Clementine asked.

Zeke shook his head and he said, "Not this time… but you can't do that again. For one thing, Carver won't take that bluff twice, and for another, that was dangerous."

Clementine nodded and she said, "I know… I hope I don't do it again."

"Yeah… We better get ready to move." Zeke said. "Since Carver knows we're here, it'll only be a matter of time till he returns."

"What about my mom and dad?" Clementine asked.

"We'll wait as long as we can, but… if they're not here in the next thirty minutes, then… there's nothing we can do." Zeke said.

Clementine frowned before she nodded her head.

… **To be continued.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Zeke paced around waiting for the group to return. He was getting anxious. There was no doubt that Carver was dangerous. Every nerve in his body screamed to leave. It was past a half hour. He and Sarah had gotten everything packed for themselves, Clementine, and Genevieve.

"Zeke, everything will be alright." Sarah said as she walked up to the nervous teenager.

Zeke stopped and looked to her. "They're taking too long, Sarah." Zeke said. "We have to leave. It's too dangerous to stay here any longer."

"But what about Clem? Her mom and dad are still out there. She won't leave without them." Sarah said.

"And so is your dad, but we have to go." Zeke said. He walked up and grabbed his bag along with Genevieve's.

Clementine looked to him with a saddened look before she got up to follow. Sarah walked over and picked up her bag and Genevieve. She didn't like it, but she knew that Zeke was right.

The three went into the kitchen and out the back door. Zeke knew it was going to be tough especially since Sarah couldn't defend herself and Genevieve wasn't even able to take care of herself, but given his experience, he knew that they would survive.

"So where are we going?" Sarah asked.

"Good question." Zeke said. He pulled out a map that he found within Luke's drawer. It showed a path to the mountains; there was an 'X' at the end of the path. He didn't recognize what the 'X' on the map stood for. He slowed down and showed the map to Sarah. "What's this mark mean? Do you happen to know what this means?" Zeke asked as he pointed to the 'X'.

"I… I don't know… Maybe… Wait… I think I overheard Luke and my dad talking about it before." Sarah said. "They were talking about going to the mountains if Carver ever showed up. I think that symbol is where a ski lodge would be."

"A ski lodge?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah, Rebecca and Alvin went there once." Sarah said.

"Well… alright. That might be the best location we're going to get." Zeke said.

"What about my mommy and daddy?" Clementine asked. "I need them."

"It'll be okay, Clem. I'm sure they're fine." Sarah said.

Clementine looked down and she said, "I hope so…"

Sarah and Zeke exchanged worried glances before they continued to move forward. Zeke hoped that he would meet up with Luke, Rebecca, Alvin, Nick, and even Carlos at some point in their journey to the mountains.

 **Evening**

They finally had a chance to settle down for the night. "Alright. We need twigs and sticks. You have to make sure that they're dry." Zeke said. He decided to help Sarah learn some survival skills while being on the road. They would start on gun training tomorrow morning before moving out. Meanwhile, Clementine played with Genevieve.

"Okay." Sarah said. She went into the forest's edge to start her search.

Zeke walked over to Clementine and he said, "How are you and Gen holding up?"

"Okay… I guess." Clementine said. "I just… I really miss my mommy and daddy."

"I know." Zeke said. He turned to Genevieve and he said, "How you holding up, Gen?" The toddler responded with baby noises. "Yeah? Tell me all about it." Zeke said with a chuckle.

He glanced up to see how Sarah was doing. He looked up just in time to see someone grab her from behind. There was a hand over her mouth and she was dragged deeper into the forest.

"Be right back." Zeke said. He got his bow and went into the forest. He followed the footprints deeper into the forest.

"Stop squirming." Zeke heard a whisper. There was also some muffled yelling. Zeke got closer and closer until he saw someone keeping a hold on Sarah. Soon enough the girl slumped over. He must have choked her unconscious. He watched the man toss her to the ground. He started to unbutton his pants. Zeke knew what he was going to do. He pulled back the arrow and aimed it at the man's head.

He released the arrow but the man must have seen Zeke at the last second. He ducked to avoid the arrow and charged at Zeke. Zeke tried to get another arrow ready, but the man tackled him before he could bring the arrow back. The man was ferocious in his attack. He punched Zeke several times with anger and hatred in his facial features while keeping him pinned down with his other arm. Zeke went for his knife and stabbed the man in the arm which made him scream out. Zeke pulled out the knife as the man held his bleeding arm. "You f****** shit! I'll kill you and dance on your f***** corpse!" The man screamed. He charged at Zeke. This man reminded Zeke of his abusive, drunkard father. He always feared his father, but now, he was going to slay his demons. Zeke charged for the man with his knife. The man tackled Zeke but the teenager had managed to stab the man in the abdomen.

The man screamed and huffed before he punched Zeke. In response, Zeke grabbed the hilt of the knife and slashed the man's abdomen open. The man screamed again and clutched his abdomen. "F******… ass…" The man muttered as he laid on his side. "You… should have… died. I hope you die."

Zeke growled and he approached the man. His knife was already drenched in blood. Zeke took the knife and plunged it into the man's skull. The man was dead, but Zeke wasn't finished yet. Flashes of his drunkard father's abuse littered his mind as he pulled the knife out again and stabbed the man again and again. He kept stabbing the dead man with his knife as new flashes and thoughts flooded his mind. He thought about Decker. He thought about the life he could have had if it wasn't for this world. He thought about a life where he had normal parents. He thought about how he could have been more than an average student and outcast. Finally, he thought about this man and how he would have raped Sarah and in the process, he would have taken her innocence away.

Zeke finally stopped. He huffed as he looked down to the knife and his blood covered hands. There wasn't much left of the man's face. Zeke got up from the man but soon fell to his knees. He dropped the knife and began to cry. It was too much. His whole life had been filled with trials, and now, he was at his breaking point.

He didn't know how long he had been crying, but by the end of it, he felt a pair of arms around him. He looked down to see a set of small hands with a blue coat wrapped around the arms. "You okay?" He heard Sarah's voice. She sounded worried and sympathetic toward him.

"I… I don't know." Zeke said.

"You saved my life." Sarah said.

"I…" Zeke said but he couldn't finish. It felt good to release all of that hidden anger and rage. When he killed his brother's murderer, it was out of pure revenge. He didn't release all his anger and frustration like he did this time. He felt a kiss on the cheek. It was Sarah. He couldn't save Decker, but he did save Sarah.

"Holy shit…" The two heard a familiar voice. They looked up to see Luke staring at the two. He wasn't alone. Nick and Carlos were with him.

"Dad..." Sarah said as she released her boyfriend.

The three were surprised. Finally, Carlos walked over to Sarah and he said, "We've talked about this." He had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Zeke is different." Sarah said. "He loves me."

"You think he loves you. He's only faking it so you will lower your guard… and when that happens… well… I just hope I'll be there…" Carlos said.

"Don't you think that I would know if Zeke had bad intentions better than you. I've spent more time with him than you have… and he saved my life." Sarah said.

"And he also put it in danger by dragging you out here!" Carlos snapped. "You shouldn't be out here, period!" Sarah winced from her father's yelling.

"Carlos, calm down. There's probably a good reason why they're out here." Luke said.

"C-Car-Carver…" Zeke said. He got to his feet though his legs were shaky. "He came… Would have killed me… but Clem… she stepped in."

"Whoa…" Luke muttered. "So… everything must be alright. I mean you're all in one piece. I guess that's what counts."

"Luke… we can't just ignore what happened here." Carlos said as he looked at the body of the violent man.

"Carlos, it came down to either Zeke and Sarah or him." Luke said.

"I understand that, but he went beyond killing him…" Carlos said.

"Dad…" Sarah said.

"I'm not sorry for what I did." Zeke said. "I wasn't going to let Sarah get hurt by this man. Maybe I did go too far, but to be honest, I don't care. I have my own demons to fight. You just need to stay out of it."

Carlos ignored the boy and he said, "You've proven just how unhinged and violent you truly are. I don't want you anywhere near me daughter. If you go anywhere near her, I'll assume it as a threat and I will kill you."

"Carlos!" Luke snapped. "The hell's wrong with you?"

In response, Carlos punched Luke. Luke fell to the ground with a groan. Nick turned and aimed his gun at Carlos. "You don't talk that way to me, Luke." Carlos said. He looked up to Nick and he said, "Put that gun down right now."

"You're the one who's unhinged, Carlos." Nick said as Luke got back up.

"I will do anything to protect Sarah." Carlos said.

"Including threatening to kill a kid and attacking your own friends." Luke said with a disappointed tone in his voice. He shook his head and he said, "I'll give you this small warning. If you kill anyone in this group, you're gone. You'll be on your own."

"Luke… I'm just worried about Sarah." Carlos said. He started to calm down from earlier. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to leave his daughter. He figured that Luke would either force him to leave or he would have to hurt or kill his own friends to stay with his daughter. "I'm worried what this world is doing to her… and what people like Zeke are doing to her."

"He protected her from Carver when he came to the cabin… He risked his life then and just now he protected Sarah from someone who would have hurt her. But instead of showing him the smallest hint of respect, all you do is chastise him." Luke said.

"For good reason. I don't want him to get the idea that I want him to date her." Carlos said.

"Dad… I know you're just worried about me, but… Zeke isn't like the bullies. He's nice… and I like him. I've actually spent time with him. I know what he's like." Sarah said.

"Sarah… You have no idea what he's like." Carlos said.

"I have a better idea than you. You don't spend any time with him." Sarah said.

"Either way, you need to listen to me. You're going to stop seeing him." Carlos said.

"No." Sarah said.

"What?" Carlos snapped. He turned his glare on the teenager as she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to put up a tough front. However, she was shaking a little.

"I said no. You're wrong." Sarah said.

Carlos clenched his fist and he said, "You are not too old for me to bend you over my knee and-"

"Alright… Alright." Luke said as he got between the two. "Let's just take a breather."

"I will not tolerate that behavior, Sarah. I am your father. You listen to whatever I tell you to do." Carlos said.

"No! You're a shell of who my dad was. My dad was nice and comforting, not controlling and mean." Sarah said.

"I… You… You watch it…" Carlos said.

"Look… I know you're a mess after mom died… I am too… It's a daily struggle to just get out of bed and put up this front to show the world that even if everything is horrible, I'm still happy… It seems like you're pushing me away over each passing day… until Zeke showed up… Now it seems like you're taking all of your frustration out on the boy that I like…" Sarah said.

Carlos looked down and huffed. "I'm sorry, Sarah… I… I tried to protect you… I wanted to keep you… innocent."

"But that's the thing, dad… I'm not and I can't be innocent… Losing some of my innocence won't turn me into a monster." Sarah said. "So, stop worrying about me so much... you're almost killing yourself because you're constantly worried."

"Sarah, I wasn't worried about you becoming a monster… I was worried that you would be overwhelmed. I was afraid you would die in this world." Carlos said.

"I know… I've been trying to get used to it all… Everything is scary, but… it helps that we have friends." Sarah said. She then gestured to Luke, Nick, and Zeke.

Carlos huffed and he said, "Alright… I will try to ease up a bit… and give Zeke a chance… although I still don't like you dating."

"I know… but I'm growing up and Zeke is one of the nicest people I've ever met. I trust him." Sarah said.

Carlos gave a hesitant nod before Sarah went over to join Zeke. Zeke smiled and he took the girl's hand. The two walked away and went back to Clementine and Genevieve. Nick followed behind them while Carlos and Luke walked next to each other.

"I'm…. sorry for the outburst… I guess Sarah is right… She's growing up. She doesn't need me as much as she used to." Carlos said.

"Can't imagine what you're going through." Luke said. "I never had a kid before but… I'm sure it's difficult to see them grow up and make decisions on their own."

Carlos nodded before he said, "I babied Sarah as long as I could… I just hope she can make the right decisions… I just don't know about that Zeke boy." Carlos said.

"He's a good kid… You just need to get to know him." Luke said.

Carlos shook his head in response. He didn't seem too confident with Luke's words.

Soon enough, the group returned to the clearing where Alvin, Rebecca, Clementine, and Genevieve were. The group proceeded to the mountains where the ski lodge was.

… **To be continued.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey all. Sorry for the long hiatus. I was lazy this summer and this semester has two graduate level classes. One of these classes have a lot of course work to it. And I have two undergraduate senior classes which aren't as significant. I'm still pretty busy, but I think I'm going to start updating again.**

 **A huge thanks goes out to Termin8r for helping me get back into FanFiction after this long hiatus.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Several days had passed by as the group continued their trek. They were still making their way to the ski lodge. Zeke was relieved to have finally gotten Carlos off his back. Despite the rough start, the older man seemed to have been trying to get to know Zeke better. In addition, Genevieve was starting to adjust to having Rebecca and Alvin as her surrogate parents. Zeke had the feeling that Omid didn't make it. It was better that the toddler had a family, and Rebecca and Alvin did a good job of filling in that roll.

He noticed that the group seemed rather tired. He was probably the only person who wasn't exhausted. After all, this has been his whole life. Before the apocalypse, he and his brother would go out into the woods to avoid their abusive father and to enjoy some time together away from their stressful lives. It seemed so long ago, but now, he was out in the woods and maybe for good. He had no idea if this virus would last forever or if the virus was on its last leg. It seemed that walkers weren't as prevalent as they used to be.

"I think I see our mountain up ahead." Luke said.

"Finally…" Nick muttered.

They came out to an opening where the mountains came into view. Luke went up to Clementine and he said, "You think you can take a look and see what's up ahead, kiddo?" He gestured to a bolder that was at the edge of the cliff.

"Yeah." Clementine said with a nod. She took off her backpack and rummaged through it until she found a pair of binoculars. She then made her way over to the bolder to start climbing it.

"Need any help?" Luke asked as the child struggled to get on top of the bolder.

"I think I got it." Clementine said.

Meanwhile, Sarah sat down and huffed. She wasn't alone. Most of the group did the same. Zeke looked over to see Genevieve walking around. Despite being younger than two, the toddler was smart. She stayed near the group. She knew better than to wander off.

Zeke looked back to Sarah and sat down next to her. "How are you holding up?" Zeke asked.

"I'm exhausted." Sarah said.

"You'll get used to it." Zeke said as he placed his arm around her. "Hopefully we won't be doing this for much longer."

"How are you able to do all of this and look after a toddler at the same time?" Sarah asked.

"Well… I've had some experience. Like I said, I practically raised Decker even as a toddler. At least this time, I had a better idea of what I was doing." Zeke said.

"You're sweet for looking after not only your brother but also Genevieve." Sarah said.

"Thanks." Zeke said with a smile. He always wondered if he did a good job of raising Decker. It seemed that people would always turn a blind eye to him and his brother. That was mostly his fault. After dealing with his abusive, drunk father for so many years and his mother abandoning her family, Zeke didn't trust adults. The only adult he trusted was his uncle who taught him everything about hunting, tracking, and fishing… and unfortunately for Decker, he also learned how to swear from his uncle.

"I think they're getting ready to head out again." Sarah said with a sigh.

Zeke looked up to see the group members around Luke. "Seems like it." Zeke said. He got up and offered his hand to Sarah.

The girl sent him an appreciative glance before accepting it. She took his hand and Zeke helped her up. "Thanks." Sarah said.

"No problem." Zeke said.

The two walked over in time to hear Luke say, "Zeke and I can go across that bridge low and slow and make sure it's safe to cross from the other side."

Rebecca and Alvin didn't say anything; however, it was obvious they didn't like the idea. "I'm fine with that." Carlos said.

"I'm not." Sarah said. "Why does Zeke have to go?"

"Sarah… Zeke is a lot stronger than the rest of us. I think having him come with me would be a big help." Luke said.

"He's just a child, Luke." Rebecca said.

"Exactly which is why I should go." Nick said. "You think some kid is going to help you when crossing that bridge?"

"He's more than just some kid." Luke said.

"I can do it." Zeke said.

"See… He's up for the task." Luke said.

Zeke started to walk over to Luke but he was stopped by Sarah who took his hand. "Don't go." Sarah said. She seemed very worried, and her breathing was starting to increase. Her anxiety must have been kicking in. Zeke could only imagine what thoughts and scenarios were going through her head.

Zeke turned to the girl and he said, "I'll be fine. This isn't my first time dealing with walkers."

"I know… but… I'm afraid I'll lose you." Sarah said.

"I've survived this long, haven't I?" Zeke said. "I promise you that I'll be fine, okay?"

Sarah nodded but she seemed unconvinced. Zeke hugged the girl. Before he made his way over to Luke.

"If anything happens, I'll cover you." Nick said.

Luke nodded before he looked over to Zeke. "Come on." Luke said.

They walked away from the group and started walking down the trail that led to the supposed bridge that Luke was hoping to cross. After a few minutes passed by, Luke spoke up. "I'm sorry about that back there, but I could really use your eyes right now. Quite frankly, I don't trust Nick to tie his own shoelaces. Clem's head-strong, but I know Alvin and Rebecca would have flipped if I had her come with me."

"What's wrong with them?" Zeke asked. "Is it Carver?"

"You guessed it…" Luke said. "You got to see what he was like. The extremes he would go… Hell… holding a baby with a knife against her throat… That was… shit… that was a whole completely different way of being f***** up… He's getting worse."

"Yeah… he's dangerous." Zeke said.

"You said it… Are… um are you alright from that?" Luke asked. "He almost choked you that same day."

"It's nothing new for me." Zeke said.

"Hmm…" Luke said. "You know… Nick went through the same thing you did… he had an abusive father. I'm just glad that Connie and Pete were there for him… but it seemed you didn't have anybody."

"I had Decker… and an uncle, but he didn't do all that much… He taught me everything I know… hunting, fishing, tracking… But he never got us out of that situation with my dad."

"Didn't you have any other family members?" Luke asked.

"I had an aunt and uncle on my mom's side, but they lived far away and they were upper class. They didn't want anything to do with 'redneck children'." Zeke said.

"That is f***** up." Luke muttered.

"Yeah…" Zeke muttered. He wanted to talk about something else. The last thing he wanted to think about was his mom's side of the family. "So, Carver is after you because of Clem? Why?"

Luke pondered on the teenager's question before responding, "What's the most important thing to you? What does everyone want?"

"Family." Zeke said without hesitation. Even though his parents didn't care about family, Zeke did.

"It's a tough world out there without people you can rely on." Luke said. "And um… speaking of which… you and Sarah… you're both getting pretty close."

"Yeah?" Zeke said. "I assumed you were alright with that."

"I am… I just… um… You know there are differences between a boy and a girl, right?" Luke said.

"Yes…" Zeke said. He was starting to feel a bit awkward. He had a good idea where Luke was going with this."

"Okay… and… I don't want this to be awkward, but… anyone ever give you the talk? You know… the birds and the bees?" Luke said.

"Yes… Omid did." Zeke said. "Why are you bringing that up now?"

"Sorry… I just… I wanted to make sure you were informed before you and Sarah started going beyond kissing and holding hands." Luke said.

Zeke was a bit disgusted but he said, "We cuddled the other night… when I was in that shed."

"Wait, what?" Luke exclaimed. A look of shock appeared on his face.

"It was for warmth… We were trying to stay warm…" Zeke said. "It was for survival."

"Oh okay… good. I'm glad it had nothing to do about um… something else." Luke said.

Zeke smirked and he said, "Well... it wasn't entirely for warmth… at least to me, it wasn't."

"Hey. Watch it." Luke said. "You're too young to be thinking about that kind of stuff."

"You're the one who brought it up. Besides, we're fifteen. Who cares if we cuddle?" Zeke said.

Luke groaned in response. He knew he was beaten. He looked ahead again but stopped when the entrance of the bridge was in view; there were two walkers at the entrance. Neither the mobile walker nor the legless crawler had noticed the two yet.

"Hmm… can't shoot them… It'd make too much noise." Luke whispered. "But there's only two."

Zeke looked to his bow before shaking his head. "What if I miss my shot… Arrows are hard to come-by anymore." Zeke whispered. "Let's take them out."

Luke nodded and he said, "I like your style." He pulled out his machete while Zeke took out his knife. The two ducked behind a nearby bolder so they would remain out of sight from the two walkers. "Okay. I'll take the big one and you can take small fry."

"Okay." Zeke said. He didn't really care as long as they could coordinate who would get which walker. He and Luke stayed low to the ground and snuck up on the walkers. Zeke inched closer and closer to the crawler. Once the crawler was in arm's reach, he plunged the knife into the crawler's skull. He took the knife out and allowed the dead crawler to fall to the ground. He tuned to see Luke kill his walker with his machete before looking back to Zeke.

"Whoa… you alright?" Luke said.

Zeke nodded and he said, "I've done this for a while. I'm fine."

Luke nodded before he turned back to the bridge. "Ready to keep going?" Zeke nodded in response. The two started to make their way across the bridge. Zeke placed his knife back into its sheath and took out his bow again. He saw a couple of walkers starting to make their way to him and Luke. He took out an arrow and pulled the bow back. However, he could hear a walker coming from behind him and Luke. The two looked back to see a walker limping toward them.

"Shit." Luke muttered. He went over to deal with the walker while Zeke turned back and fired an arrow into one of the walker's skull. The walker jolted back from the hit and fell to the ground.

Zeke started to back away from the approaching walker and readied another arrow, but he stopped when he heard Luke yell out.

Zeke turned around and saw that Luke and the walker that he was going to kill were gone. A part of the bridge must have collapsed "Luke." Zeke said. He ran over to the hole and saw Luke struggle with the walker. The creature was impaled by one of the metal poles of the bridge while Luke held on to another set of poles that ran parallel to each other.

"Zeke, I'm fine… I'm just stuck… Look, we'll figure something out… Just take care of the walkers up there." Luke said.

"Alright… just hand on." Zeke said before he looked back up. The walker was almost on top of him. He wouldn't be able to use his bow. He pulled out his knife and jumped back from the walker's swinging arms. He got onto his feet as the walker limped toward him.

Zeke went up to the walker and kicked its good leg in. The walker fell to the ground which allowed Zeke to finish it off with a quick stab.

With the walkers dealt with, Zeke placed his knife back into its sheath and went to retrieve his bow. He looked around for something that Luke could use to get back up onto the bridge. He found a rebar. He took the rebar to the hole. The first thing he did was smash the impaled walker's skull. He then handed the rebar to Luke. Luke placed the rebar across two intact metal poles and used it to get on top of the bridge again.

He huffed as he pulled himself back up onto the bridge. "Thanks Zeke." Luke said in between his huffs.

Zeke nodded in response. He was starting to realize what this group meant to him. It was almost like a family… the family he never had. "Let's keep going." Luke said

He led the way again while Zeke followed. Zeke remembered that talk with Luke from the other day. He mentioned how he lost his family, but this group acted like a family. He was starting to see that Luke was right. If he wasn't so withdrawn when he was with Christa and Omid, Zeke could have seen them as his family.

"Hold up." Luke said as he held his arm out to stop Zeke. Zeke looked up to see a man in the distance. It appeared that he was holding a hunting rifle. "You see him?"

"Yeah…" Zeke said.

"Just play it cool." Luke said. "…And you do the talking."

"What?" Zeke said with a shocked look on his face. "Why me?"

"Cause I don't want to get in a fight. And I don't think he'd just go off and shoot some kid. Just don't say anything that would piss him off…" Luke said.

"That's real encouraging." Zeke muttered. "What do you want me to say to him?"

"I don't know. Ask him for directions." Luke said.

Zeke looked back to the man and noticed that he had gotten closer. He was close enough to have a conversation with but far away enough to be able to aim and shoot if anything happened. "Well? Who are you?" The man asked.

"Well who's asking?" Luke asked. He had his hand over his revolver.

"I am." The man said.

"I'm Zeke and this is Luke." Zeke said.

"Zeke and Luke." The man said in a distrusting tone of voice. He walked closer to the two. "You don't look like assholes. Are you assholes? No offense or anything. It's just… you know how it is. You run into a lot of assholes."

"We're just people." Zeke said.

"Alright." The man said. He started to approach Zeke and Luke and started to have a more relaxed posture as he did so. "You two heading up north like everyone else?"

"Everyone else?" Luke asked.

"Yeah there's at least one group a day that passes through here to go up north." The man replied. "It's like the great migration of the dazed and the confused."

"Have you seen a man come through here by any chance. His name's Omid." Zeke said. "Kind of short, dark hair."

"Hmm… can't say that I have. I mean… I've seen a lot of people come through here… He might have passed by… I really don't know." The man said. Zeke nodded in response. It seemed that there was a high possibility that Genevieve was now an orphan or had been for the last few days.

"I have to say. You two look like shit. If you want, I got some canned food in that station back there." The man said.

"Well, that's uh… awful nice of you. What's the catch?" Luke asked. He sounded suspicious of the unknown man's intent. It almost seemed like a trap.

"No catch. I got plenty." The man said. This reassured Luke and Zeke that they were dealing with another survivor and not a scavenger or worse.

"Well alright then, thank you." Luke said in a calmer demeanor.

"Hey no problem. It's nice to run into friendly faces out here." The man said. "Like I said I got food and supplies back in the station and if you want…" The man trailed off as he squinted his eyes towards the other end of the bridge. His eyes widened and he asked, "What the f***, man?"

Luke and Zeke turned around and saw Nick running toward them with his hunting rifle in hand. "What in the world is he doing?" Luke asked. Nick then aimed his rifle toward the unknown man. In turn, the unknown man raised his rifle. "No, no, no, no! He's wi- He's with us!" Luke said. He then turned to Nick and waved his arms in the air. "Nick, no!"

"Put it down!" The man exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Zeke pulled back his bow and aimed at Nick. The last thing he wanted was to kill him or let Nick kill the man. Before he could process anything else, he released the bow and the arrow went flying. Luke pulled him to the ground as a gunshot went off. There was a scream, but Zeke had no idea if it came from the man or Nick.

… **To be continued.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Alright… I'm going to try and update biweekly.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owner.**

Zeke looked up to see Nick on the ground with an arrow shaft sticking out from his shoulder. Luke got up to go check on Nick, but he was stopped by the unknown man. The man now had his rifle aimed at Luke. Luke raised his arms up and he said, "Alright… Let's just talk about this."

"What's there to talk about?" The man exclaimed. "Your friend nearly shot my head off!"

"Look… I'm sorry… He's on edge right now… I told him to stay back and wait for me to signal to everyone." Luke said.

The man didn't say anything else. Zeke felt anxious. He didn't know if he did the right thing. He and Nick were already rocky at best when it came to a friendship, and now, he didn't know if this man was going to shoot him and Luke because of Nick's reckless actions. The man sighed and lowered the gun. "Alright… Against my better judgement, I'll give you guys a chance. I just… I hope the rest of your people won't do anything like that." The man said.

"They won't." Luke said.

The man nodded and he said, "Go ahead and check on your friend."

"Okay. Thanks… um… You never said your name." Luke said as he lowered his hands.

"It's Matthew." The man said.

"Alright… I'll see you on the other side of the bridge." Luke said. Matthew nodded before he went to the small building that was near the bridge. Luke gave a signal that indicated for the rest of the group to come across the bridge. He then went over to Nick with Zeke walking alongside him.

They got over in time to see Nick get up. He had a glare aimed at Zeke. "What the f*** is your problem?" Nick snapped. "You f******* shot me!"

"Nick-" Luke said but Nick cut him off.

"Shut the f*** up! I want to hear what this f****** asshole has to say!" Nick exclaimed.

"I'm sorry I shot you." Zeke said. "But I didn't want either one of you getting killed, and given how trigger-happy you have been in the past, I knew you would have shot Matthew."

"Who the f*** is Matthew?" Nick snapped.

"The guy we were talking to before you ran in and waving around a damn gun!" Luke snapped at Nick.

"Hey! I thought he was going to shoot you guys!" Nick exclaimed. "I thought you were in danger!"

"Nick, I was waving my arms for you to not shoot, and I told you to wait. You could have shot me or Zeke." Luke said.

"Yeah? And now I'm the one who got shot." Nick said. "You still think we can trust him after he shot me."

"You didn't help the situation." Luke said. "Zeke was trying to make sure that both of you walked away alright. Considering that you and Matthew didn't kill each other, I'd say everything worked."

"I have a f****** arrow in my shoulder!" Nick exclaimed.

"And whose fault is that? Nick, you can't just shoot first and ask questions later." Luke said.

Nick growled as he shook his head. "Whatever." Nick muttered. He shoved Luke and Zeke as he walked past them.

Luke sighed before he started to make his way across the bridge with Zeke following beside him. "You did the right thing. Don't beat yourself up over this. Nick's… Nick's just in a bad place right now."

"He's been in a bad place since I've met him." Zeke said.

"I know… Losing his mom took a huge toll on him… and then Pete died… that made things worse…" Luke said.

"How did you and Nick meet? You two must have been friends for a long time." Zeke said.

Luke scoffed and he said, "Yeah… Nick's the closest friend I've ever had… Closest thing I had to a brother… We pretty much grew up with each other. We did a lot of stupid shit. We even went into business together."

"Doing what?" Zeke asked.

"We made um… I probably shouldn't say..." Luke said.

"Alcohol…" Zeke muttered.

Luke's eyes widened and he said, "How did you know that?"

Zeke shrugged and he said, "Process of elimination. Adults usually don't want to talk about sex, alcohol, or tobacco around kids. You can't make one of those things and sell it."

Once again, Luke became silent. He wasn't sure how to respond to someone like Zeke. The last thing he wanted to do was to bring up painful memories for the boy. They got across the bridge with the rest of the group joining them.

Sarah ran up to Zeke immediately and hugged him. It sounded like she was breathing heavy. She must have been frightened if she saw what had unfolded at the bridge. "It's alright… I'm okay." Zeke said.

"And I'm not!" Nick snapped. "F****** William Tell over there shot me."

"What happened?" Rebecca asked Luke.

"Zeke and I were talking to some guy and then Nick came out of nowhere and aimed a rifle at him." Luke said.

"He drew first!" Nick snapped.

"Oh really? Because that's not what it looked like to me." Luke said.

"Is he with Carver?" Carlos asked.

"No… I don't think so. I never seen him before." Luke said.

The door to the small building opened and Matthew came out. "Hey… I got a couple of cans left." Matthew said. He stopped when he saw Clementine and Genevieve. "Holy cow… You guys have a kid and a baby? That is… That is a rare sight."

Clementine smiled. The man reminded her so much of Omid. "Hi. I'm Clementine." The girl said.

"Hi there. I'm Matthew." He looked to Rebecca and he asked, "Is she your daughter?"

"Alvin and I adopted her." Rebecca said with a smile.

Matthew nodded and he said, "Alright… Tell you what… If you guys are good enough to look after some kids and a baby, I guess it wouldn't hurt anything by having you come to the ski lodge. I'm going up there to get more food and some new batteries for my radio anyway."

"You're up at that ski lodge?" Luke asked.

"Me and some other people including my partner." Matthew said.

"I see…" Luke said. "We thought that the ski lodge was abandoned."

"Hey, don't worry… Let's just pretend what happened on the bridge didn't happen, alright?" Matthew said.

"Fine…" Nick muttered. "Can someone help me with this f****** arrow sticking out of me?"

Carlos sighed and he said, "Yeah… hang on." He went over to inspect Nick's wounds Matthew went over to Luke and Alvin and handed them the two cans of peaches. Clementine placed Genevieve on the ground and allowed the toddler to walk around for a bit.

Zeke and Sarah went over and sat down next to each other. "I'm glad you're okay." Sarah said. "I was scared to death when I saw you fall down at the bridge."

"Sorry… Luke was trying to protect me." Zeke said.

"It's okay… I know that now… It just scared me at the time." Sarah said. "And don't worry too much about Nick… he's not that good with kids…"

"I'm starting to notice that." Zeke said.

"Try not to take it too personally. He's a good guy once you get passed his short temper." Sarah said. Zeke only responded with a nod. He didn't know Nick well enough to argue with Sarah. He just hoped that she was right.

"So… Do I have to practice shooting today?" Sarah asked.

"Absolutely if we get to stay in that ski lodge for the night." Zeke said. "I thought you were excited to learn."

"I was… until I shot a gun for the first time." Sarah said.

Zeke scoffed and he said, "You'll get used to it. And as an added bonus, you get to sleep in a comfortable bed tonight… hopefully…"

"Now that is something to look forward to… I'm not a big fan of sleeping on the ground." Sarah said.

"No one is." Zeke said.

"Oh shit…" The two turned their heads and saw Matthew looking to the far end of the bridge. "We're about to have company." Matthew said as he started to back away.

Zeke stood up. He was worried it was Carver and his people, but it turned out to be several walkers. The gunshot from earlier must have drawn them to the bridge.

Zeke looked around to his fellow group members. "Can we take them?" Zeke asked. "We'd have the advantage since they could only get to us by crossing that bridge."

Luke shook his head and he said, "There's too many."

"We can still lose them through the woods. Plus, there's a lot of ammunition back at the ski lodge." Matthew said.

Luke nodded before he turned to Matthew. "Lead the way." Luke said.

Matthew didn't have to be told twice. He ran up the hill to the ski lodge and the group followed behind.

"Down." Genevieve said. She was now in Rebecca's arms. The toddler couldn't walk around much before the walkers showed up.

"In a bit, baby." Rebecca said. "We have to get away from the monsters first." Genevieve released a sigh in response.

It was silent amongst the group again aside from the huffs from the adults to get to the top of the mountain.

* * *

The sky grew grey from the oncoming storm and the lateness of the day as the group made their way up to the ski lodge. If the group wasn't exhausted before, they certainly were now. "I'll go get my people." Matthew said as he went across the walkway.

"Man…" Alvin muttered as he placed Genevieve down. He had taken over in carrying the toddler when he noticed that Rebecca was getting tired. "I'm getting too old for this." Alvin said.

"You alright?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah just need to take a breather." Alvin said as he went over to the benches.

Clementine took over in watching Genevieve as the toddler walked around. She figured that her parents needed a break from running up the hill.

Zeke and Sarah looked down the mountain from the railing. "Quite the view." Sarah said.

"You said it." Zeke said. The cool wind whipped around them as they stayed silent for several minutes.

"So… what did you like to do before all of this?" Sarah asked. "I mean… I've practically told you my life story, but I don't know much about your hobbies."

Zeke smiled in response. "Well… I like video games… Decker and I would always go to the arcades every Friday night."

"Really? That sounds so cool. I wish I could have joined you guys." Sarah said.

"You like arcade games?" Zeke asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Sarah said.

"I just wouldn't think that you like video games considering that you're more of a bookworm." Zeke said.

"True… Bookworms usually have a reputation of being boring." Sarah said. "But as you can tell, I'm fun."

"Sure." Zeke said in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Hey, it's true." Sarah said. "I'm a fun person."

"Name one thing that you've done that's fun without books." Zeke said.

"I… um… Well… there was this one time…" Sarah said. She kept pausing and tried to think of something she did that was 'fun' without involving a book. She looked to Zeke with a playful glare. "Fine… you win, butthead. I don't have anything." She followed this by hitting Zeke with a playful punch.

"Well, well, well… it seems my violent nature is rubbing off on you." Zeke said with a smirk.

"Cool. Maybe I can start using your bow from now on." Sarah said with a smirk. She giggled when she saw Zeke's eyes widened.

"Young Padawan, have I not explained this already? My bow is completely off limits. All you are permitted to do is gawk at the awesomeness that it displays." Zeke chuckled a bit at the joke while Sarah was laughing.

"Come on… Just one shot?" Sarah said in between her laughter.

"Hmm… let me think about it… No." Zeke said.

"Gee… thanks. I'm glad it took you all of two seconds of consideration." Sarah said with a smirk.

"You're welcome." Zeke said which was followed by him laughing. Sarah was laughing too. They both had a unique sense of humor and the fact that they could understand each other's jokes was something that they treasured.

Their laughter ended when Luke went up to them. "Hey… sorry to interrupt, but… it'd be nice to know if Carver is still on out trail. Could probably get a better view from up top." He gestured to one of the lifts. "You'd have an easier time of getting up there than most. Won't mind if you take a look?"

"If I must." Zeke said with a sigh.

"I'll do it." Clementine said. Zeke, Sarah, and Luke turned to the girl who must overheard their conversation.

"You sure?" Luke asked.

Clementine nodded. "Yeah… as long as someone can watch Gen."

"Yeah I got her." Sarah said as she went over to the toddler.

Clementine nodded and she went over to the lift. "Clem, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Zeke said as he and Luke joined her. She was looking up the lift with a bit of uncertainty about climbing it.

Clementine turned to Zeke and Luke and she said, "I have the binoculars, so it makes more sense for me to do this."

"Alright…" Luke said. "I'll catch you if you fall."

Clementine nodded and she started to make her way up the ladder. "You know when I was a kid, my friends and I would climb up on building." Luke said.

"That sounds stupid." Clementine said.

"Yeah… the most important thing was to not look down." Luke said.

"Parkour?" Zeke asked.

"Parkour… but we weren't stupid enough to jump down from the top." Luke said.

A few seconds passed by as Clementine got closer to the top. "Made it." Clementine called out before she disappeared from view.

"You see anything?" Luke called out.

There was no response for a couple of seconds. "Nothing… wait… I think I see something." Clementine said.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"I think it's a light…" Clementine said. "Wait… I see another."

Zeke looked over to see Matthew return with two older men and a woman. One of the older men with a green coat didn't seem very happy. "Clem, what's going on?" Luke asked.

"The lights… they went back into the forest." Clementine said.

"Do you think it's Carver?" Zeke asked Luke.

Luke sighed and he said, "My gut says yes… but… maybe we did lose him."

"We can only hope." Zeke said.

"Hey guys…" Matthew's voice was heard. The two turned and saw him approaching. "How about you come on over. My group's a bit apprehensive about letting you stay the night. Kenny wants to talk to the leader… and I assumed that it would be you."

Luke nodded and he said, "Alright." Luke walked over with Matthew to the two groups.

Meanwhile, Zeke pondered on the name that Matthew mentioned. "Kenny… It can't be the same man from Clem's group… Christa and Omid said that he didn't make it." Zeke muttered to himself.

"Zeke, I'm coming back down." Clementine said.

Zeke looked up to the girl and he said, "Okay. Just take it nice and slow." Clementine nodded in response and started to climb down. Zeke waited at the bottom ready to help her if she did slip and fall. Thankfully, she never did.

Clementine reached the ground and looked over to where the two groups were. "What's going on?" Clementine asked.

"Matthew wanted Luke to talk to Kenny. I assume that's the leader of Matthew's group." Zeke said.

Clementine nodded and she said, "Okay…" Zeke could tell that there was a bit of remorse in her voice. It had to be about the man from her group. The two went up to the two groups. Clementine was about to join Rebecca and Alvin, but her eyes widened when she saw the man who wore the green coat. Zeke looked to her and saw that her eyes went wide upon seeing the man. It was like she had just seen a ghost.

"Hmm…" The man said as he kept his stare aimed at Luke. "Well… I guess you can't be all bad… Matthew did say that you seemed like good people."

"We are… We're just a bit tense." Luke said.

"K-Kenny…" Clementine said. All eyes turned to the girl including the older man's.

Zeke was surprised to see his eyes widen as well. He wondered if this was the man in Clementine's old group. It would almost have to be. Perhaps, Christa and Omid were mistaken about his fate.

"Clementine…" Kenny said. That confirmed it. It was Kenny from Clementine's old group. He was alive!

… **To be continued.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Flashback is in italics. And this is going to be a shorter chapter compared to other chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine was still surprised to see Kenny right in front of her. She didn't waste another second. She ran up and hugged the man. She thought he was dead this whole time. She was glad that she was wrong.

They separated from the hug and Kenny knelt down to be at eye-level with the girl. "These people with you?" Kenny asked. Clementine smiled and nodded her head. Kenny stood up and said, "We can talk inside."

"Good. I'm about to make dinner." The man in the red sweatshirt said.

"Are you sure you won't mind?" Carlos said.

"It's going to storm soon. Please, come in." The man in the red sweatshirt insisted.

Kenny turned and led the way to the entrance of the ski lodge with the rest of the group following behind him. Clementine walked alongside him. She still couldn't believe that he was alive.

* * *

The man in the red sweatshirt held the door for Clementine and Kenny to enter. Clementine was amazed at what she was seeing. The ski lodge seemed so cozy, and it had electricity which was an added bonus over the cabin that she, her family, and her friends stayed in. She saw the Christmas lights that wrapped around the columns. The man in the red sweatshirt joined Kenny and Clementine and walked with them. "Kenny and Sarita have been staying with us for several weeks. Used to be a ski lodge obviously, so there is plenty of food." The man said as he walked up the stairs, "And believe it or not, we still get power from that wind turbine out front. We tend to keep the lights off at night to avoid drawing attention."

Kenny turned around to Clementine and began mocking the man with a nagging hand gesture as the man continued, "But after we found this stuff in storage, we couldn't resist making an exception." Clementine giggled at Kenny's antics as the man turned around. "Is something funny?"

"Oh nothing Walt." Kenny replied. He walked up the stairs to introduce his friend to Clementine. "Walter here is one smart son of a bitch. He also makes a good can of beans." Kenny finished as he patted Walter on the back.

"Well, why don't you two catch up while I get dinner started?" Walter suggested. Clementine turned around when she heard the door open. She saw Luke, Nick, her adoptive father, and her adoptive mother share in her surprise. It had been so long since they had lights. Genevieve was even more surprised. She had never seen lights before.

"Please make yourselves at home. You can leave your things over there." Walter said as he gestured to the bench. However, the group was hesitant.

"I'm holding on to my rifle." Nick said which broke the silence. "Thanks."

"Maybe we should all put our weapons over on the bench… Not just us." Alvin said.

"Very well… Kenny?" Walter said as he made a gesture toward the bench.

Kenny looked to Clementine. He had a skeptical look on his face. It seemed that he wasn't so sure on placing his rifle on the bench. "Would you vouch for these people, Clem? If you say that they're good, I'll place my weapon on the bench." Kenny said.

"Yeah… They're cool." Clementine said.

The door opened again. The Indian-American woman, Matthew, Carlos, Sarah, and Zeke entered the ski lodge. "Dad, look… a Christmas tree." Sarah said. She was excited to see the decorated tree.

"Not now, sweetie." Carlos said as he placed an arm on her shoulder.

"Isn't it great? We found it all in storage." The Indian-American woman said.

"It's amazing." Sarah said.

Kenny smiled at the young girl before descending from the stairs to place his hunting rifle on the bench. Luke joined him and he placed his machete on the bench. Soon after, the rest of the group placed their weapons and supplies on the bench. Once everyone had placed their supplies and weapons on the bench, the woman smiled and said, "Good. Will you all please follow me? I'll show you where you can sleep." From there she gave a tour to Nick, Sarah, Zeke, Luke, Alvin, Rebecca, Genevieve, and Carlos.

"Well… I think I'm going to stay here for the rest of the night." Matthew said. "I don't want to get caught up in that storm."

"That would be a good idea." Walter said. "Come on. Help me with dinner." Matthew nodded in response before he followed the older man to the make-shift kitchen.

Kenny and Clementine headed for the living room where a nice, warm fire was. They sat across from each other as Kenny looked to Clementine with a smile. "Still wearing this dirty old thing." Kenny said as tapped the brim of Clementine's hat. "You know, I half expected Lee to walk up with you. You two were like two peas in a pod." Kenny then jumped back seeing Clementine look down with a frown. "Ah, shit. I didn't mean… it's just hard to not think about him."

Clementine looked up. It would always be hard to think about Lee, but thanks to her adoptive parents and the support of her new friends, she had come to realize that she couldn't keep blaming herself. She was wrong. It wasn't her fault that he died. He died to save her life. "He saved me." Clementine said. She could finally say that sentence without having the tang of remorse or the nagging thought in the back of her head saying that it was all her fault.

"I knew it." Kenny said. "I knew he would. That guy had a fire in him, sure as shit." Kenny then looked down with a frown. He was remembering everything Lee did for him as a friend. "Hell… he was one hell of a guy. When my son… well he helped me through that. He took care of him… when I couldn't. I'll never forget that." Kenny finished his last sentence with more optimism. "So where'd you end up?"

"I was outside of Savannah when Luke found me… He and a woman named Tavia took me to their community. I met a lot of good people there. I got stronger and smarter… and I even got to be a kid again… but it didn't stay that way. The man in charge… he got worse as time went on. We had to leave, and now, we're back to being on the road again." Clementine said.

"I see… so Christa and Omid didn't find you?" Kenny said.

Clementine shook her head. "They tried to find me… The boy in my group, he was with them for the longest time. And that baby, that's Genevieve. She's Christa's and Omid's daughter."

Kenny's eyes widened and a smile formed on his lips. "Well I'll be… I almost can't believe that. So, where are they?"

Clementine frowned and she said, "Christa died soon after Genevieve was born… and Omid was ambushed… I think… Zeke would know more than me.

"Zeke huh? Is that the boy?" Kenny said. Clementine nodded in response.

"So, where have you been?" Clementine asked.

"Oh hell, everywhere, after Savannah." Kenny replied.

"How did you get out of there?" Clementine asked.

Kenny scoffed and said, "For some reason, I went back to try and save that shit bird, Ben. Then it turned into a damn cluster." Kenny looked off toward the fire with a distant expression on his face. After a couple of seconds, he turned back to Clementine. "Couldn't help the kid, but I made it out. Long story short, I got lucky, real lucky. Spent a long time alone after that. It uh…" Kenny then spaced out. He obviously went through some nightmares after Savannah, just like Clementine. "…And then I met Sarita, thank goodness. Gosh, it's great to have you back!"

The Indian-American woman approached the two and she asked, "You two catching up?"

"Clem, this is my girl, Sarita. Ain't she beautiful?" Kenny asked as he looked to the woman.

Sarita rolled her eyes at the antics of her boyfriend and she said, "It's nice to meet you Clementine."

"Nice to meet you, too." Clementine said. She turned to see her group come back from the tour of the ski lodge.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Luke asked Kenny.

"Yeah. I could use some help moving in some supplies before the storm hits." Kenny said.

"Alright. Come on, Nick." Luke said. He and Nick followed Kenny outside.

"Clementine, how about you help me decorate the tree?" Sarita said.

"Sure." Clementine said with a smile. She hadn't decorated a Christmas tree for a long time. She went over and started decorating the tree.

Meanwhile, Alvin and Rebecca laid out some toys for Genevieve to play with. They watched and played with the toddler as she played with the toys.

"Can we help?" Sarah asked Sarita.

"Certainly." Sarita said.

"Cool. Come on, Zeke." Sarah said as she dragged him over to the Christmas tree. "You've decorated a Christmas tree before, right?"

"I um… Yeah…" Zeke said. He seemed to be in another world as he stared at the Christmas tree.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked. Zeke didn't respond.

 **Zeke's POV**

Memories flowed through his mind. It was as if time was going backwards. He was experiencing yet another flashback. He could almost feel the cold air again… and worst of all… he could hear his brother's voice.

" _This is so cool." Decker said. "I'm glad we do this every year."_

" _Me too." Zeke said. They were standing in front of a coniferous evergreen tree in the woods that they decorated each year on Christmas day. It was nice but far from perfect. Their ornaments were either busted or cracked. They didn't have the money to buy new ones, but Decker enjoyed it regardless._

" _Here." Zeke said as he handed a box to Decker. It was his Christmas present to the younger boy even though it wasn't wrapped._

" _Zeke, you didn't have to get me anything." Decker said._

 _Zeke scoffed and he said, "Just open it."_

 _Decker smiled before he opened the box. Inside was a medium sized dog plush toy. "No way… How'd you know?" Decker exclaimed._

" _You stare at it all the time when we go to the supermarket. I can't get you a real dog, but I figured this was the next best thing." Zeke said._

 _Decker smiled before he hugged his older brother. "Thanks Zeke… you're the best." Zeke returned the hug. It may not have been a good life for either of them, but Zeke treasured these moments._

"Zeke…?" He heard the familiar voice. It brought him out of the flashback. He looked around to see that his eight year old brother was nowhere to be seen. Instead it was Sarah and Clementine looking at him with worried stares. "Zeke… are you alright?" Sarah asked.

"I um… yeah… It just… This brings back memories." Zeke said.

"You and your brother used to celebrate Christmas, right?" Sarah asked.

Zeke nodded and he said, "Yeah… I need to get some air."

"I'll come with you." Sarah said.

Zeke smiled at the girl before he proceeded to head outside. The air was crisp and cool. He looked out into the dark forest while Sarah hugged him. "I know you miss your brother… I know that's what you were thinking about back there."

Zeke nodded and he said, "Everything keeps reminding me of him… We would always take some ornaments out into the forest and decorate one of the trees on Christmas. I would go out and shovel driveways so I could get him a gift."

"That's sweet of you…" Sarah said.

"The last thing I ever got him was a dog plush toy." Zeke said as he felt tears brimming his eyes. "Told him I couldn't get the real deal so I went for the next best thing. But that didn't matter to him. He loved it… I gave it to him while he was dying in my arms… and I buried it with him…" If he wasn't crying before, he was now.

Sarah released her grip and got in front of him to hug him. "It's alright… He's happy now…" Sarah said in an attempt to comfort her boyfriend. Zeke continued to cry on her shoulder as the teenage girl swayed back and forth with him. They remained that way for several minutes.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: I'm not sure what I could have written after that. So, I ended the chapter here.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Sarah and Zeke entered the ski lodge. Zeke felt like he was a mess. He wasn't used to balling his eyes out in front of people. He was used to being strong. He did everything he could to conceal his emotions, but up to recent, he was losing it. He couldn't keep his emotions in check if he tried. "I'm sorry…" Zeke muttered.

Sarah turned to him with a questioning stare. "Huh?" Sarah asked.

Zeke turned to the girl and he said, "I'm a complete mess right now… I'm sorry that I'm like this."

"Hey… don't be. Zeke, you went through a traumatic experience when you lost your brother. Your dad used to hurt you, and your mom left you and your brother with your father. How you're feeling right now is normal." Sarah said.

"You didn't start dating me because I'm like this." Zeke said.

"Wrong… I started dating you because you were cute and nice… and I could tell that something bad happened to you." Sarah said. "I knew what I was getting myself into, and I haven't regretted it since."

Zeke's eyes widened and he said, "How could you have known?"

"Because… that look on your face when you showed up at the cabin was the same look that my dad has. I see it every day. Bottom line, we look after each other… That's the main point." Sarah said.

Zeke smiled and he said, "Thanks Sarah."

Sarah nodded and she hugged the boy. She kissed him on the cheek and she said, "You have to keep in mind that I have problems with anxiety, but you didn't care about that. You started dating me anyway." They separated from the hug. Zeke was surprised at how mature the girl was especially when she suffered from anxiety and was sheltered her whole life.

"I guess you got a point." Zeke said.

"Of course, I do… Now… I want to go decorate that Christmas tree before you drag me outside for gun training." Sarah said with a smirk.

Zeke smiled back and he said, "Okay." The two teenagers walked over and started placing Christmas ornaments on the tree.

* * *

"Hey… you're back." Sarita said. "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah… I'm okay." Zeke said. He didn't exactly want to talk about his brother. The last thing he really wanted to do was to cry again.

"Well… okay…" Sarita said. She didn't sound convinced that Zeke was okay, but she didn't push the subject any further. She turned back to the tree. "All we need for the tree is a topper."

"We would always put an angel on top of our tree." Sarah said.

Sarita smiled and she said, "My family and I didn't celebrate Christmas until the last few years, but we enjoyed it when we embraced the tradition. It is such a fun holiday."

"I could go find the topper." Clementine said.

"That would be perfect. We still have a couple of ornaments left." Sarita said. She proceeded to place ornaments on the tree while Clementine went upstairs to find a topper. Sarah helped in putting ornaments on the tree.

"What about you, Zeke? What did you use as a topper?" Sarita asked.

"We… We didn't have a topper." Zeke said.

"Why not? That's the best part about decorating a Christmas tree." Sarita said.

"We… didn't have enough money to buy one." Zeke said. "Money was a bit hard to come by in my family."

"I see…" Sarita said. "That's too bad."

Zeke nodded his head before he looked up to Clementine. She placed the angel on top of the tree. It did look nice.

"She looks so cool." Sarah said.

Sarita finished placing the last ornament on the tree and she said, "Perfect. You know, this place is starting to feel like a real home now that you and your friends are here. We might have an exciting Christmas now."

"Here's to hoping." Zeke said.

"Hoping? You're more than welcome to stay as far as I'm concerned." Sarita said.

"As a group, we appreciate that, but... we're kind of on the run." Zeke said.

"On the run? Who's chasing you?" Sarita said.

"Bad people." Sarah said. Clementine walked up and joined them.

Sarita frowned and she said, "It's depressing to see what this world has become. Very few people nowadays would show even smallest sense of compassion."

"These people might still be tracking us." Zeke said. "You and your group might be in danger by bringing us in. You might have to leave, so they won't hurt you."

"But this is our home." Sarita said. "I don't think Kenny, Walter, or Matthew would be willing to leave."

"You should talk to them." Clementine said.

Sarita nodded her head before she heard Kenny's voice. "Well now… you four have been busy."

"Kenny! isn't it wonderful?" Sarita said.

"It certainly is." Kenny said. Sarita picked up the boxes that held the ornaments. "I got it hon." Kenny reached for the boxes in Sarita's hands.

"I think I can handle it, Kenny." Sarita said.

"I said I got it!" Kenny snapped before snatching the boxes from Sarita's hands. He walked off with the boxes in hand.

"Is that normal?" Sarah asked Clementine.

Clementine frowned and she said, "It's common."

"Kenny just like to play the gentleman, but let me tell you, when I first met him, he couldn't lift a finger." Sarita said. She turned to the three children and she said, "How about you go check with your friends? Dinner will be ready soon." She walked away from the three and went over to talk to Matthew and Walter.

Zeke, Sarah, and Clementine looked over to see that Luke, Nick, Carlos, Rebecca, and Alvin had congregated around the fire. Clementine and Zeke proceeded to walk over to join the adults with Sarah being more reluctant and following behind them.

"We can't be sure if we lost him." Carlos said. "We should leave at dawn."

"So, we can do what? Keep running?" Nick said. "I'm sick of running. It's about time we fought back."

"And at what cost?" Alvin asked. "Nick, we can lose a lot of people if we attack Carver and whoever he brought with him."

"We can't live life on the road. It's too hard on the children and the baby." Rebecca said as she bobbed Genevieve in her arms. "And I don't have any intention of being taken back there."

"We're alive because we ran." Carlos said.

"And now look at us… We're stuck between a rock and a hard place." Luke said.

"Luke, we need to keep running. Eventually, Carver will realize that it's not worth the effort to find us." Alvin said.

Rebecca shook her head and she said, "He'll never stop. He'll keep looking for us until he finds us or dies trying."

Luke sighed and he said, "You're right… We need to fight back. This is it. We can talk to Kenny and his people and ask them for some help."

Alvin and Carlos weren't convinced that this was the best idea. They seemed a bit disgruntled. Things will work out." Rebecca said as she placed a hand on Alvin's shoulder.

"I hope so…" Alvin said.

"Well everyone. Dinner is served. Come, let's eat." Walter said from the two tables. The group members left the living room area and went over to one of the tables. Sarah took Zeke's hand and led him over to the table where Luke, Alvin, Rebecca, Nick, Carlos, and Genevieve sat.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine watched as her adoptive parents and friends went to the table on the left while Kenny, Sarita, Matthew, and Walter sat at the table on the right. She saw that Luke was about to wave her over until Kenny said, "Over here, Clem." Rebecca and Alvin looked back to the girl. It was as if all eyes were on her, when in fact it was just a few. This was uncomfortable for her. She remembered how she was seen as the wimpy kid in school. She remembered how frustrating it felt being picked last when she played a scrimmage for soccer.

She looked back and forth between the two tables until she finally decided to go over to Kenny's table. She had to. It had been so long since she had seen him. There was still a lot to talk about.

"Here you go." Walter said as he handed a bowl to Clementine.

"Thanks." The girl said as she sat down at the table.

"So, Clem… What's the deal with the kid?" Kenny asked. "What's his name? Luke? He's the leader? You trust him."

"Kenny…" Sarita said.

"Sarita, we don't know these people." Kenny said.

"They seem nice." Walter said. "They are looking after three children and a baby."

"Yeah well gators seem nice too until they rip your arm off." Kenny said.

"Yeah… Luke's a nice guy. I trust him." Clementine said.

Kenny nodded before he said, "Sarita was telling us that you're on the run."

"Some people are after us." Clementine said.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. They'll go tomorrow, and you can stay here." Kenny said. Clementine's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Kenny was willing to get her away from her own group. Of course, she never told him about her being adopted by Rebecca and Alvin. She made sure to not tell him. She had a feeling that he would have gotten upset if she did tell him about that.

"Kenny… hold on… what about the other children and the baby?" Sarita asked. "It wouldn't hurt to have more people here. We could help them."

"The only other person from that group that I'd be willing to take in is the baby since she is Christa's and Omid's daughter." Kenny said. "The rest of them can leave as far as I'm concerned."

"That might upset the baby. She seems very attached to Rebecca and Alvin." Sarita said.

"She's just a baby. She'll get over it." Kenny said.

"Kenny… I… I can't accept your offer." Clementine said.

"What? Why not?" Kenny said as a scowl formed on his face.

"These people are my friends. They took me in when I thought everyone I knew was dead." Clementine said.

"And I'll always be thankful for that, Clem, but come on. These people don't know how to raise a kid. I'm willing to bet that the doc is the only one who's had a kid, and that's because he and the girl have some resemblance to each other." Kenny said.

"Lee didn't know what he was doing either. He never had a kid before me." Clementine said.

"That's different, Clem. Lee was different." Kenny said.

"Kenny, please, I want to be with these people." Clementine said.

"I'm sorry, Clem, but my decision's been made. You and Gen will stay here. The rest of them will go." Kenny said.

Clementine sighed before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Kenny, but I can't stay if you force them to leave."

"Clementine, you are a child. You don't just make decisions like that. You leave it up to an adult." Kenny said.

"Kenny, these people are more than just my friends. They're also my family… Rebecca and Alvin adopted me as their daughter." Clementine said.

Kenny's eyes widened and his mouth hung open. She knew this wasn't going to end well. She looked to Sarita, Matthew, and Walter to see that they were surprised but not as surprised as Kenny.

"Well… that does change things." Walter said. He turned to Kenny before he continued, "Maybe we should let them all stay. I would love to have a class of students again." He turned back to Clementine. "I used to be a teacher-"

Walter was interrupted by Kenny. "No!" Kenny said. "Clem, what were you thinking? Why would you… Why did you let them adopt you? They're complete strangers."

"They're good people, Kenny. I was with them for almost two years. My parents are walkers and Lee is dead… I wanted a family… and they wanted a child." Clementine explained.

"Kenny, please…" Sarita said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Kenny shrugged her off before looking down to his food. He was angry and lost in thought.

Sarita exchanged a worried glance with Walter and Matthew. Clementine felt bad for making Kenny angry with her. It wasn't like the decision of being adopted came out of nowhere. Alvin and Rebecca had been looking after her for weeks before they officially adopted her.

She heard footsteps coming up from behind before stopping. She looked next to her to see Luke sitting down. "I think Matthew and I will start cleaning up." Walter said. He and Matthew got up from the table and started gathering empty bowls and used silverware.

Kenny looked up and he said, "So… Clem told me that some people in your group adopted her."

"I… yeah… Rebecca and Alvin. But that's not important. We need your help." Luke said. "The man who's been chasing us is probably still on our tail. We're done running. We want to fight back."

"Give me one good reason why I should help you." Kenny said.

"Because, if you don't, Carver will get exactly what he's wanted for a long time. He'll get Clem… and he'll manipulate her to become like him." Luke said.

Kenny's eyes widened and he looked to the child. "Is that why he's after you?" Kenny asked Clementine.

Clementine nodded in response. "That's why he's after all of us. He wants me as his heir." Clementine said.

Kenny sighed before Luke continued, "Now you see what we're up against. Look, if you want to make sure that Clem doesn't become a raging psychopath, you'll help us."

Kenny nodded and he said, "Fine… I'll help… What's the plan?"

"Alright… you and I got some work to do." Luke said. He turned to Clementine and he said, "You should probably go check in with Rebecca and Alvin." Clementine nodded before she got up and went over to her adoptive parents.

They were back to being in the living room area to keep an eye on Genevieve. Clementine walked over to them. "Hey sweetie. How are you doing?" Alvin asked.

"Okay." Clementine said. "I'm sorry I didn't join you for dinner. I had to talk to Kenny."

"We heard. You alright?" Rebecca said.

Clementine nodded in response.

"Clem… I think we owe you an apology." Rebecca said.

"For what?" Clementine asked. She was surprised; she didn't think that her adoptive parents had done anything wrong to her.

"We haven't been paying as much attention to you as of recent. It just seems like we've been ignoring you and focusing on Genevieve. We're sorry." Alvin said.

"Mom, dad, I've been an only child for eleven years. I think I'm okay. It has been a bit of an adjustment, but I'm happy to have a baby sister. She's cute and fun." Clementine said.

Her two adoptive parents smiled at her. "Thank you, baby. We're lucky to have you." Rebecca said.

"And I'm lucky to have you both." Clementine said.

"Speaking of having a baby sister, I think your father and I will be adopting Genevieve just like we adopted you. Would you be alright with that? We're going to make it official that you two are sisters, and Gen is our adopted daughter." Rebecca said.

"I would love that." Clementine said with a big smile. Her smile faded and she said, "But… I don't think Zeke would like the idea."

Her parents frowned and looked over to Zeke and Sarah. It looked like they were going to head outside. "Yeah… we're going to have to talk to Zeke." Alvin said.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke walked outside with his bow in hand. Sarah walked alongside him with a handgun. The two went over to one of the nearby trees, but they stayed relatively far away from it. "Okay… ready to do this?" Zeke asked.

"I guess so." Sarah said. She raised the handgun and aimed it at the tree. She had come a long ways. She didn't lock her elbows, and she maintained a good posture. It was good that Zeke knew the basics of using a gun. She aimed at the tree and squeezed the trigger. Her shot was off a bit, but it was an improvement.

"Good try. Aim a little to the left." Zeke said.

Sarah nodded and adjusted her aim. She shot the tree dead center.

"Nice shot." Zeke said. "You're getting better at this."

"Thanks to you." Sarah said.

Zeke scoffed and he said, "I only taught you the basics."

"And look where it's gotten me." Sarah said. "I wouldn't be doing this without your help."

Zeke smiled at the girl until he heard a walker. He heard the creature's growl, and turned around to see it limping closer to the two from the surrounding woods. "Alright… you ready to apply everything you learned?" Zeke asked as he took one of the arrows out of the quiver and pulled back the bow.

"What? No! I'm not ready for this!" Sarah said in a panicking tone of voice.

"Don't worry. You'll do fine. Just remember everything you learned and take a breath to stay calm." Zeke said. "You're stronger than this thing. You can do this."

Sarah was still a bit unsure. She raised the handgun and aimed it at the walker. Her breathing was heavy and her grip on the gun was shaky. She fired her first shot which missed. Zeke lowered his bow and held onto her arms. "It's okay. Take a breath and squeeze the trigger. Keep your aim steady." She took in a breath which allowed her to relax. Her arms didn't shake as much; she pulled the trigger. Next thing she knew, she saw the walker jolt back and fall to the ground dead. Sarah huffed as Zeke went over to the walker. There was bullet hole near the center of the walker's skull. He looked up to Sarah and he said, "Good job. You did it."

Sarah smiled before she ran up and hugged him. "Thanks for helping me. I can't believe I did it! This is so cool! I should go tell dad! He'll be so proud of me."

"Umm… you sure?" Zeke asked.

Sarah released him from the hug and she said, "I… I hope so…" She had a huge grin on her face.

… **To be continued.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

After helping Sarah with gun training and practice for twenty minutes, Zeke said, "I think that's good for now." It was getting dark out and it certainly was getting colder. He wanted to spend the rest of the night by the fire with his girlfriend.

"Good." Sarah said as she lowered the gun. "My arms are getting tired, and it's freezing out here." She and Zeke went back toward the ski lodge, but Zeke stopped. He could have sworn he saw something.

"Hang on." Zeke said. He squinted his eyes and looked to the side of the building. He started to go toward it to get a better look, but he still couldn't see anything.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"I… I think I saw something." Zeke said. He continued to walk over to the side of the building. He had his bow out and was ready to pull back the arrow.

"We should get the adults." Sarah said as she ran over to join him.

Zeke shook his head. "We need to figure out what it is first." Zeke said. "Don't worry. We can handle it, if it's a walker and if it's a person, we have element of surprise. Just let me take the shot."

They walked around the corner to see a woman peering through the glass window of the ski lodge. She didn't appear to be armed. She had red hair and gaunt features. She wore a leather vest with a thick long sleeve shirt underneath, a pair of tight jeans, and a pair of boots.

"Bonnie?" Sarah said. Zeke groaned. She just blew his and her cover.

The woman looked over to the two teenagers, and her eyes widened. "Sarah?" The woman said.

"What are you doing out here?" Sarah asked. "Are you on the run from Carver, like us?"

"I… yes. Sweetie, I need your help. Vince is hurt really bad. I came up here hoping to find someone in the ski lodge and hoping that person was a doctor." Bonnie said.

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

"He… He got impaled. He fell on a rod… It went straight through. Wy and I were able to yank him off of it, but now he's bleeding out… He needs a doctor." Bonnie said.

"I… Bonnie… I can't. My dad hasn't taught me all that much." Sarah said.

"Sarah, please, anyone who has experience could help. I know that you know almost as much as your dad. You've watched him stitch wounds before. That's all we need." Bonnie said.

Zeke wasn't sure what to say or do. He didn't want to let someone die who was a friend to Sarah, but he also knew that Carver and his people were out looking for him. There was one big question on his mind. "You were with Carver, but you said that you had ran away just like Sarah and her group?"

Bonnie nodded her head. "That's right. Please, we need to hurry." Bonnie said.

Something didn't feel right to Zeke. She appeared to be anxious which could be interpreted in two ways. She was either telling the truth and wanted to get back to Vince with someone who had some idea how to stitch a wound, or she was lying and was still with Carver. But wouldn't it make more sense to get Carlos who was a qualified doctor with years of experience over Sarah who was still an apprentice? It would only take four minutes to go inside and get help.

"Vince can die, Sarah. Please, you're the best we got." Bonnie said.

"I… I'm sorry, Bonnie, but I'm not. Let me go get my dad. He knows everything about this." Sarah said. She turned to run to the entrance of the ski lodge.

Zeke turned back to see Bonnie pull out a handgun. He didn't even know she was armed. She had it concealed somewhere. "Sarah, stop." Bonnie said.

Sarah turned back and her eyes widened. "B-Bonnie, wh-what are you doing?"

Bonnie shook her head and she said, "I'm sorry, sweetie. The last thing I wanted to do was to get you mixed up in all of this… but now, I don't have a choice. You're coming with me…"

Sarah huffed before she shakily raised her handgun and aimed it at Bonnie. Zeke's eyes widened. He ran over and grabbed the gun from her. "What are you doing?" Sarah said with a shocked look on her face.

"Killing a person is different from killing a walker." Zeke said. "You'll never be the same once you take someone's life, even if that person has always done you wrong." He thought about the first person he ever killed which was his estranged father who would have killed his little brother if he hadn't stepped in. He may have deserved it, but Zeke hasn't been the same person since that day. Sarah looked down with a frown; she knew he was right.

"Weapons on the ground." Bonnie said.

Zeke placed his bow and quiver full of arrows on the ground with Sarah's gun. He then drew out his knife and stabbed it into the ground. He hoped that the others would know what happened by the knife sticking up out of the ground. "Come on." Bonnie ordered. She gestured to the woods. Zeke huffed before he went to the woods. Sarah joined alongside him and held his hand. "I'm so sorry." Bonnie said. "I never wanted it to be this way." She did sound remorseful, but that didn't matter. She was taking them to their inevitable death.

It didn't take a genius to realize that Carver didn't care about Zeke, Sarah, or Genevieve. He didn't know if he was going to survive this encounter.

* * *

Zeke could see a small campfire up ahead. No doubt it was Carver and his people. It didn't take long until they reached the clearing and were greeted by Carver and two other men.

"What the f*** is this?" One of the men snapped.

Bonnie ignored him and looked to Carver. "I'm sorry, Bill. I got caught. I had no choice but to bring them here."

"Good job, Bonnie. You can't even do a f****** recon mission right. The f*** we brought you out here for anyway?" The man snapped.

"Easy Troy. We'll figure something out, right Bill?" The other man said.

Carver went over to Zeke and Sarah. He looked at them for a couple of seconds before a smile formed on his face. He turned to Bonnie and he said, "We can make this work. You did good." Carver said.

Bonnie and the other man were surprised while Troy seemed annoyed. "How are we going to make this work?" Troy inquired. "They're just a couple of snot-nosed brats."

"True… but they're valuable to their people, and we can use that." Carver said.

"Bill, hold on. You're… You're not going to hurt them, right?" Bonnie said with the look of horror in her eyes.

"That'll depend on the actions of their people." Carver said. He turned to Troy and he said, "Tie them up." He then turned back to Bonnie. "You found them at the ski lodge?" Bonnie was hesitant but she nodded in response. "Good… Lead the way."

Zeke looked to Sarah. They were both frightened by the current situation. For all they knew, this could be their last night.

 **Clementine's POV**

Luke went over to Clementine and her family. Rebecca was in the process of getting Genevieve to sleep by giving the toddler a bottle. Meanwhile, Alvin had an arm around Clementine. "Hey… I need to talk to you." Luke whispered to Clementine.

Clementine nodded and walked away from where her mom, dad, and baby sister were. They walked over to one of the tables and Luke said, "Listen… I understand that Kenny was a friend at one point or another, but… you're still with us, right? We're all worried that you'll go with him since well… Rebecca and Alvin haven't been paying much attention to you up to recent… and I haven't been there for you either. I've spent most of my time with Zeke."

"Luke, I'm happy where I'm at. I'll always be that annoying little sister that keeps on bugging you. It's my job. Besides, I'm happy with Rebecca and Alvin as my parents. I love them. And I love Genevieve; she's like the baby sister I've always wanted. I've been babied and coddled since the day I was born. I enjoy it, but I need some room to breathe every once in a while." Clementine said. "Seriously, you guys need to stop worrying about me. My mind's made up. You're stuck with me."

Luke smiled and he said, "Wouldn't have it any other way, kiddo. I promise, we'll spend some more time together as soon as we get Carver off our backs."

"Sounds good." Clementine said as she returned the smile.

"Anyway… um… have you seen Zeke or Sarah lately? They went outside for gun training, but I haven't seen them since." Luke said.

Clementine's smile faded and she shook her head.

"Damn… that can't be good." Luke said. "Carlos is starting to get worried. I went out there to look around, but I couldn't find them. I figured they were in here somewhere."

"Kissing?" Clementine said with a disgusted look on her face.

"Let's hope so." Luke said. "Otherwise they're missing."

Clementine shook her head. "That's gross." Clementine said.

Luke scoffed and he said, "Wait until you're Sarah's age, then you might be singing a different tune."

"I won't. Daddy said I'm not allowed to date until I'm eighteen." Clementine said.

"Alvin's already laying down the law, huh? Good man." Luke said. "Anyway, go ahead and try to find them."

"Okay." Clementine said. She and Luke went separate ways and tried to search for the two teenagers within the ski lodge.

After searching for a few minutes, Clementine went into one of the rooms and saw Nick with a bottle of whisky in his hand. He was surrounded by other bottles. "What do you want, kid?" Nick muttered. His speech was slurred and his breath was foul. He was drunk.

"I'm looking for Zeke and Sarah." Clementine said. "Have you seen them?"

"Nope." Nick muttered before he took another swig of the whisky.

"You're drunk again, aren't you?" Clementine said.

"Why don't you just leave me alone? You know I don't like you…" Nick muttered.

"Because… I was in same spot as you at some point." Clementine said. "I lost everyone… no family, no friends, nothing…"

"We're nothing alike." Nick muttered.

Clementine nodded her head and she said, "You're right… but you and Zeke are alike…"

Nick groaned and he said, "He hates me… Can't say I blame him though…"

"No, he doesn't… Nick… Zeke was in a terrible place. His mom abandoned him, his dad was mean to him just like your dad was mean to you, and he lost the only person that he ever loved. But he didn't give up on life and he didn't completely give up on humanity… He may have lost a couple of friends along the way, but look where he's at now. He's dating my best friend, and he's got us as friends. It's not easy to get back up when you've lost everything, but if you don't give up, you might find some happiness in this life." Clementine explained.

Nick wanted to argue with the girl but he knew she was right. He sent a small smile toward Clementine and he said, "Thanks Clem." He got back up and made his way over to the door. "I guess you're right… If you and Zeke can be happy in this shithole world… I guess I can to."

Clementine smiled and nodded her head. "Help me and Luke find Sarah and Zeke. We're not sure where they're at."

"Alright." Nick said. He walked away from the girl while wobbling back and forth. She heard a scoff from behind once Nick reached the stairs and started to climb down them. She turned back to see Kenny. "Honestly, these are the people that are looking after you?" Kenny muttered. "What a bunch of morons."

"They're good people, Kenny. I wouldn't be alive without their help." Clementine said. "You just need to get to know them."

"Darling, I don't want to get to know them. I'm here to give you an alternative. I've been thinking about tying the knot with Sarita, and if we do that, we're…well… we've been thinking about having a child… maybe you?" Kenny said.

Clementine's eyes widened and she said, "I'm sorry, Kenny, but no… I'm happy with Alvin and Rebecca as my parents. Thank you."

"Darling… Can you at least think about it? You know that I just want what's best for you." Kenny said as he squatted down to be at eye-level with Clementine.

"I know you do, Kenny. That's what made you a great dad for Duck." Clementine said.

Kenny looked down with a frown upon hearing his son's name. "I miss him, Clem…" Kenny said with tears in his eyes.

"I know you do. I miss him too, but replacing him with me won't work. I'm different from Duck." Clementine said. She also had tears in her eyes.

"I… I'm not trying to replace him with you, Clem… I… I want you as my child." Kenny said.

"Why me, Kenny? Why do you just want me? Zeke's an orphan, and Genevieve was most likely an orphan when we arrived. Why don't you want either of them?" Clementine asked.

Kenny pondered on the girl's question. He couldn't answer it. "You want to adopt me because I remind you of Duck, and that isn't fair for either of us. I know it's hard, but you have to think about what you really want."

Kenny looked up to Clementine and smiled. "Thanks Clem…" He stood back up.

Clementine nodded back and she said, "We need some help finding Sarah and Zeke. Luke can't find them."

"Alright." Kenny said as he wiped the tears. "I'll search around."

"Kenny." Sarita said.

Kenny turned around to see his girlfriend. She had a huge smile on her face. "Hey hon. What's up? I haven't seen you this happy since we found those Christmas decorations." Kenny said as he walked up and hugged her.

Sarita returned the hug and separated from the man. "I'm pregnant." Sarita said.

Kenny's eyes widened while Clementine's smile turned into a huge grin. "You're… You're going to have a baby?" Clementine exclaimed.

Sarita chuckled and she said, "Yes… Kenny and I are going to have a baby."

"How… How long have you known about this?" Kenny said. He was still shocked.

"Just now." Sarita said. "Congratulations. You're going to be a dad."

Kenny smiled before he hugged his girlfriend again. Clementine smiled at the scene in front of her. She knew this would help Kenny. He didn't need her. He needed another chance of being a father and husband, and now… he had that chance.

… **To be continued.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke and Sarah continued up the mountain toward the ski lodge with both of their wrists tied by some rope. They weren't sure how to get out of this situation. This was made worse by the fact that they were getting closer and closer to the ski lodge. "What do we do?" Sarah whispered.

"I don't know." Zeke whispered.

"Hey! Shut the f*** up!" Troy snapped.

"Troy, quiet. We're getting close to that ski lodge. We don't need you announcing our position, dumbass." Johnny said.

"F*** you!" Troy snapped.

Carver cleared his throat. Sarah and Zeke looked back to see that their four captors had stopped. Carver had a gun aimed and pressed into the back of Troy's head. "You either shut your damn mouth, or your brains are going to be splattered all over them and the ground." Carver said.

Troy backed down and he said, "Okay boss."

"That's better. Enough of your stupidity." Carver said. "We're this f****** close. I ain't letting my heir slip through my fingers again." He turned back to Zeke and Sarah. "Keep moving."

Having no choice, the two teenagers kept walking. Zeke could tell that Carver was more unhinged compared to last time. Zeke wasn't sure what Carver was capable of now. They approached a clearing to see Luke, Nick, and Carlos looking over the weapons that were left behind by Zeke.

They looked up to see the two teenagers approaching them "Where have you been? We were…" Carlos said, but he trailed off when Carver came out of the forest with his guards.

"They seem like good kids." Carver said. "They did a good job of doing what they were told… It'd be a shame if something happened to them." He raised his handgun and aimed it at Sarah. Sarah gripped Zeke's hand with a tight grip out of fear of being shot. He could tell that she was breathing heavy and was on the verge of crying. He figured that one of the other guards had a gun aimed at him.

"Don't… please…" Carlos said. He appeared to scared. He didn't want his daughter to die in front of him.

"Carver, this is between you and us, not them. Just let them go." Luke said.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Carver said. "You know? Originally, I was just going to leave all of you alone. All I wanted was Clementine, but then this happened." A scowl formed on his face as he continued. "You marched her out here in the middle of nowhere, hid her away from me, hindered her growth, and now, you went out of your way to get away from me… She's coming with me, and the rest of you will work your asses off until the day you die. I certainly hope it was worth it…"

Luke shook his head. "You don't get it, do you?" Luke said. "She doesn't want to lead your community, and she doesn't want you as her father. She has a family now, and all she wants right now is to live with her adoptive family and be a normal kid."

"Honorable sentiment… but whether she chooses to accept it or not, she is my heir. Now… take me to her… or those two will end up dead." Carver said as he gestured to Zeke and Sarah.

"Wait… Bill… You… You can't do this. They're just a couple of kids." Bonnie said.

"As I said before, their group's actions will decide whether they live or not." Carver said. "So, what's it going to be, Luke?"

A couple seconds passed by before Luke released a sigh. "Alright… Come on…" He turned to lead the way to the ski lodge.

"Carver, please, let my daughter go." Carlos said. "You got what you wanted."

"No. I'll have her and the boy stay with me for the time being. Hopefully, for their sakes, the rest of your people will cooperate as much as you have." Carver said with a smug smile on his face.

Carlos grumbled in response while clenching his teeth. He balled up his fist and looked to Carver with a glare. "Want to punch me? Go ahead. It'll be the last thing that your little girl will ever see." Carver said.

"I hate you." Carlos spat. He sounded furious.

"Come on, Carlos… We don't have a choice." Luke said. He was looking back to the man with a defeated look on his face. Nick followed Luke; there wasn't much else he could do given the situation.

Carlos shook his head before stomping away from Carver. He joined Luke and Nick, and the three made their way to the ski lodge. Zeke could tell that Nick was drunk. He was wobbling back and forth as he walked. He also noticed that Carlos would look back to check on Sarah.

* * *

It wasn't long until they reached the entrance of the ski lodge. Luke opened the door and allowed Carver, Bonnie, Troy, and Johnny to enter with Zeke and Sarah still being held at gunpoint.

Luke, Nick, and Carlos entered and closed the doors behind them. Luke led the way up the stairs with everyone else following him. The ski lodge felt so warm compared to the bitter cold of the outside. It was also peaceful. Too bad that peace was about to be shattered.

Kenny walked over. He seemed to be very angry upon seeing Carver and his people. "What the f*** is going on here? Who the hell are these ass clowns?"

Carver stepped forward and he said, "It's a shame that you got involved. You and everyone in here will surrender unless you want those two to die?" He once again gestured to Zeke and Sarah.

"You're the sonuvabitch that's been after Clem." Kenny snapped. It was easy to see that he was getting even angrier.

"The clock is ticking. Either, you surrender or one of them dies." Carver said as a scowl started to form on his face.

"You think I give a shit!" Kenny snapped before he landed a punch on Carver. Carver stumbled from the punch which was followed by Kenny throwing another punch. However, Carver caught the punch with one of his hands, and he punched Kenny in the gut. Kenny groaned from the punch before Carver delivered yet another punch to the face. Kenny stumbled before regaining his balance and threw yet another punch. Carver retaliated by hitting Kenny in the gut again which was followed by him picking Kenny up and slamming him onto the ground. Kenny yelled out in pain which was followed by him groaning.

Carver huffed as he got back up from the throw. He was angry. He looked up and glared at Zeke and Sarah. "Kill the boy." He ordered.

"No!" Sarah exclaimed. She held onto him and started to cry. Zeke wasn't sure what to do. Everything happened too fast. He heard someone running toward him. He heard the gunshot. He thought for sure that he was dead, but he wasn't. Sarah continued to sob as she held onto him for dear life.

He managed to turn his head just enough to see Nick on the ground. There was blood coming out of his mouth and his chest wasn't moving. Zeke knew what happened. Nick had taken the bullet for him.

"Oh my gosh…" Bonnie said as she covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes were full of horror.

"Nick..." Luke muttered. He started to breathe heavy as well before he ran over to him. "Nick… Nick, come on, man! Nick!" He tried to revive him with CPR, but it didn't seem to work. Zeke noticed that Sarita, Matthew, Walter, Rebecca, Alvin, and Clementine had gathered into the main room a few minutes after the gunshot went off.

"Stupid jackass deserved it!" Troy hissed. He was behind Zeke; he must have fired the shot. Troy aimed the rifle at Zeke ready to make another shot.

"No, no… That should be enough to convince the rest of these crippled f**** to not mess with us." Carver said. Troy grumbled before lowering his gun.

Rebecca sent a sympathetic look to Luke before she handed Genevieve off to Alvin. She went over to Carver and she said, "What the f*** is wrong with you?"

"Rebecca, sweetie, I missed you." Carver said with a smirk. "Haven't we played this game long enough."

"Bill… I told you already. Alvin is who I want in my life… not you. That night we had… that was a mistake." Rebecca said.

"Luke, he's gone…" Carlos said. Zeke looked back over to see Carlos standing back up. Luke had tears in his eyes as he looked to his friend who was now dead.

"What a mess… I told you to not follow him, and look where he's dragged you and our daughter." Carver said to Rebecca. "But it's okay now. We're going home… as a family."

Alvin sent a glare toward Carver as he bobbed Genevieve in his arms. Carver looked over and he said, "Oh, by the way, Alvin, George died that night when you escaped. You murdered him… It's only fair if I do the same to you." Alvin's eyes widened, and he started to back away.

Carver pulled out his gun and aimed it at Alvin. "No!" Clementine exclaimed. She got in front of her adoptive father. "Wait! You can still use him for labor. He's the strongest one here, right?"

A few tense-filled seconds passed by before Carver lowered the gun, and a smile formed on his face. "Hmm… I guess you're right, Clementine." He turned to Alvin and he said, "For now, you're more useful alive than dead… but don't get comfortable with it. When the expansion is complete, you will be held accountable for George's death." He turned to the other guards and he said, "Round them up. We're going home." He made a gesture for Clementine to come over to him. "Now, Clementine, we have a lot of catching up to do." Clementine looked down with a frown, but she obliged. She knew that there was nothing anyone could do to stop Carver now.

"What about her?" Troy said as he gestured to Rebecca.

"Put her with the others for now. All she'll do is coddle her." Carver said.

"Bill, no." Rebecca said.

"Besides, it seems you have another runt to look after." Carver said.

Troy grabbed Rebecca by the arm and proceeded to drag her away. Clementine went to follow but was stopped by Carver. He grabbed her arm and kept her from running. She looked up with terror in her eyes. "Don't make me punish you." Carver said to the girl.

Johnny and Troy proceeded to tie up the rest of the group while Bonnie went over to Luke. "Luke…" She went to place a hand on his shoulder which he shrugged off. "Luke, I'm sorry… I never…"

"Bonnie… just shut the f*** up." Luke muttered.

Bonnie frowned before she proceeded to get up. "I'm sorry, Luke. I never wanted this to happen." Bonnie said.

Luke continued to ignore her. Troy walked over and bound his wrists together with some rope. It didn't take long until everyone was tied up except for Alvin who was holding Genevieve.

"Alright. Let's go." Carver said. He practically dragged Clementine along. The rest of the group followed with the guards walking next to them; along the way out, the guards picked up the bags and weapons from the bench.

Nick was left alone at the ski lodge. Zeke knew that he would reanimate and become a walker since he wasn't shot in the head.

 **Hours Later**

There they were in the back of a truck tied up. It was silent for the most part except that Alvin and Rebecca continued to help Genevieve with counting and the alphabet. The toddler would get up every once in a while to run around a bit just so she could stretch her legs. Along the journey, Rebecca managed to convince Carver to give her some of Genevieve's supplies and let her be untied. "What comes after T?" Rebecca asked the toddler.

"O." Genevieve said.

"Not quite." Rebecca said. "I'll give you a hint. It comes before V."

"U?" Genevieve said. She didn't sound so sure if that was right.

"That's right. Good job, you little smarty pants." Rebecca said.

"Okay we need to do something." Kenny said. "We need to find a way to get these bindings off. Anyone got anything sharp?"

"And what's that going to do for us?" Rebecca said.

"What the hell's wrong with you people? We need to get out of here now and get Clem back." Kenny said.

"Calm down, Kenny. They took everything from us. We have to keep a leveled head." Carlos said.

"Where Cwem?" Genevieve asked.

Rebecca looked to the toddler and she said, "I'm sorry, baby. She's not here right now. She's with someone else."

"Want Cwem!" Genevieve exclaimed.

"I know… We all want Clem right now." Rebecca said.

Frustrated, Genevieve began to cry. Rebecca pulled the toddler in and placed her on her lap to comfort her. "Sh… It's okay, baby. It's okay." Rebecca said.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing." Kenny said. The truck must have hit some bumps which caused the truck to sway a bit. "I'm trying to help!"

"Yeah… You helped a whole lot." Zeke said. "You almost got me killed, and you got Nick killed."

Kenny frowned upon hearing the boy's input; he seemed to be remorseful for his actions.

"That's not fair. You're blaming him for the actions of a madman." Sarita said.

"This madman told him that he needed to either surrender or let one of us die." Zeke said. "And he ended up choosing to let us die before surrendering."

"Look, let's just calm down. We can't start turning on each other." Walter said. He turned to Kenny. "I understand that Clementine means a lot to you, Kenny, but we need to be smart about this. Let's just take the time to come up with a solid plan."

"We don't have time. Who knows what that crazy f*** is doing to her." Kenny said.

"I hate to admit it… but he's right." Alvin said. "What pushed us into leaving Carver's community was that he took Clementine out to do gun and knife training. He nearly got her killed. If Luke hadn't shown up… Well… I don't want to think about what would have happened." Alvin said.

"Damn… we're stuck in between a rock and a hard place." Matthew said. "If we wait to come up with a decent plan of escape, it may be too late for Clementine. But if we rush the plan to save Clementine and escape, we could be killed."

"Unfortunately, that's true." Carlos said.

"Hold on… there has to be something that we can do. What about Vince. He's a good person." Sarah said.

"Sarah… Vince is with Carver now." Carlos said. The truck rocked again from supposedly hitting some bumps and holes in the road.

"Maybe… but who knows how long it will remain that way." Zeke said. "Carver is becoming increasingly unhinged. If he becomes more deranged, he'll start losing the support of some of his people especially those who haven't been with him from the beginning."

"Vince and his people…" Sarah said.

"Right…" Zeke said. "We're just going to have to hope that Clem can hold out until then."

"Who knows how long that will take." Kenny said. "If we're going to get out of this mess, then we gotta do it ourselves." The truck must have hit several more bumps. The vehicle rocked more than normal.

"We're getting close." Carlos said.

"Let's just wait until we get there. We can figure out a way of escape when we actually know the layout of the community." Walter said.

It was silent for a moment which was followed by a siren that signaled that the truck was backing up. "Kenny please… just listen to them. Rebecca, Alvin, and Luke know more about Carver than anyone else here."

Kenny grumbled before he said, "Fine… but I don't like this."

"None of us do… Why else do you think we escaped." Carlos said.

Rebecca looked over to Luke who hadn't muttered a word for the whole trip. "Luke, are you alright?" Rebecca asked.

Luke huffed, and he said, "Not exactly... but… I'll have to get over it. You'd think you get used to something like this… losing someone you care about…"

"But you don't." Rebecca said.

"What if Carver was right back there. If we had stayed here and got help from Vince and his people, we could have overthrown Carver… Maybe then Reggie, Connie, Pete, and Nick would still be alive." Luke said.

"You didn't make that decision on your own. We all backed you. We all made that choice to go." Alvin said. "We knew the risks involved."

Luke looked up again. He was about to respond until the truck slammed into something from outside. It was a rough stop to say the least. Everyone jolted to the side with Zeke and Alvin nearly colliding with the truck's back door.

"Everyone alright?" Carlos asked as the group sat upright.

"Yeah… I think so." Luke said.

… **To be continued.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Zeke looked to the door upon hearing a voice from outside. "Damn brakes ain't working for shit." Someone from outside spat. It sounded like Troy. So far, Zeke did not like Troy one bit; he made Nick look like a respectful and patient young man in comparison.

"You okay?" Sarah asked. She must have been worried that he nearly collided with the back of the truck.

"Yeah…" Zeke said. It was all he could get out before the door to the truck opened. Three people stood at the entrance of the door. Troy and Bonnie were two of the people while the third one was an African-American woman.

"Alright, up and at em!" The woman said. The group had no choice but to comply with the order. There wasn't much else they could do; besides, all the guards were armed with assault rifles. It would be suicide to disobey their orders.

Rebecca picked up Genevieve while Alvin got the toddler's supplies. The rest of the group followed the woman after she made the gestured to follow. Zeke looked around. It looked almost like a docking bay of a store. He heard the door of the truck close a couple minutes after he left the truck. He saw the woman approach a pair of double doors. She opened the doors which led into a store. The store was huge. There were several checkout lanes and shelves throughout the store. Some of the shelves had food and supplies on it.

"What is this place?" Zeke asked Sarah.

"Howe's… It's a really bad place." Sarah replied. She sounded sad. He could tell that she didn't want to be back at her old community.

"We've got some familiar faces back with us tonight." Carver said. He must have been speaking through a PA system. "Now, I understand some of you are confused as to why we'd bring some of these people back when they left us as they did."

"I think I got an idea." The woman muttered.

"It might not come all at once." Carver continued over the PA. "But time will heal these wounds, so be patient with them until it does… And take solace in knowing that they're here to help us make this home a better place."

Zeke looked around to see several armed guards throughout the community. This was worse than he thought. None of the guards seemed very happy to see the group even for those who weren't part of the original group that left. "What the hell is this?" Zeke muttered. It felt like he was going back in time to when his abusive father would stare him down before beating him. It was extremely intimidating, and it made him very tense. What would stop any of these people from shooting at him? Hostile groups have captured him before but none that were this strong in number.

"All these feelings you have of anger…betrayal…hate… they're all valid." Carver said over the PA. "No one needs to forget what they did… but we have to find it in our hearts to forgive them." Carver was now visible in the office that overlooked the hardware store. He looked down to the group with a victorious smirk on his face. It was made worse with Clementine being next to him. It looked like she had been beaten on the way to Howe's. There were several bruises on her face.

Rebecca gasped upon seeing the child. "My poor baby… What is he doing to her?" Rebecca said. She sounded like she was going to cry.

"That f****** son of a bitch. I'm going to kill him!" Kenny snapped. He went to step out of line but was stopped by Troy.

"Make my day, asshole! I'll blow your motherf****** brains out!" Troy snapped. Kenny growled as he glared at the man.

"Kenny please…" Sarita said as she took his hand. He hesitated before he finally backed down.

The group continued forward. There was nothing they could do to help Clementine especially when every guard in the community was armed.

"Come on, we need you for something." Troy said to Carlos.

"Can't it wait until morning?" Carlos asked. "We're all exhausted."

"Just come the f*** on." Troy said.

Carlos sighed and followed Troy over to talk to a woman.

Sarah stopped and looked over to her dad. Zeke joined her. He knew that they couldn't stop. "I need him. I need my dad. He's… He's all I got left." Sarah said.

"I know… but he'll be back. We should keep moving. These guys do not appear very hospitable." Zeke said.

Sarah knew that he was right. They continued to walk forward with Sarah staying closer to Zeke. They approached a garage door where the rest of the group was. Zeke was glad that he was no longer around all those guards. The hateful stare that they shared reminded him too much of his father. Intimidation… That was something that his own father used against him, and it was something that the guards were doing. Zeke remembered how he could never fight back since his father was always stronger than him. Here, Zeke couldn't fight back because they outnumbered him and had more firepower. What's worse was that they could kill someone he cared about. His thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard Bonnie.

"Make sure y'all are off the fence." Bonnie said. "Bill can see if you're messin with it." She opened the garage door.

They all entered the courtyard which consisted of a fire pit and lawn chairs that surrounded the fire pit. Next to the fire pit were a couple of picnic tables and furthest from the fire pit was plywood which must have acted as bedding. Bonnie and Troy proceeded to cut the group member's bindings. Zeke noticed that Rebecca placed Genevieve on the ground, but it didn't seem like the toddler wanted to explore. Zeke couldn't blame her. It was rather dark, and since they were outside, she must have thought that they were vulnerable to walkers.

They finished by cutting Zeke's and Sarah's bindings off. "Y'all better get some rest, cause there ain't going to much for ya tomorrow. You're going to be working hard." Troy said.

"That's for you." Bonnie said as she gestured to the cot that was adjacent to the garage door.

"Yeah, it would be." Rebecca muttered. "F****** Bill. Leaves me out in the cold and takes away my child, but at least I will be comfortable."

"Hey guys." A man said.

Rebecca looked to the man and exclaimed, "Reggie!" She gasped upon seeing him and went up to the man. "I'm so sorry!" She proceeded to hug him. "I'm so sorry." They separated from the hug, and Rebecca looked to the stump which was where his left arm used to be. "What did they do to you?"

"This could have been worse. Trust me." Reggie said. "I'm lucky to be alive."

"It's good to see you again." Luke said as he walked up to Reggie with a smile forming on his face.

"Good to see you as well… I wish it was under better circumstances." Reggie said.

"Me too." Luke said.

"We didn't know what happened to you after we escaped. We feared the worst." Alvin said.

"Well… I had another chance." Reggie said. "They didn't kill me."

"Listen… I'm sorry that we left you like we did." Luke said.

"Don't be." Reggie said. "There's no hard feelings. Besides, I probably would have died if you had gotten me out of there… I was bleeding out."

Zeke turned to Sarah and he said, "What do you know about this Reggie guy?"

"Are you sure you want my opinion?" Sarah muttered as she looked down with a frown.

"Hey… what's wrong?" Zeke asked. He went to grab her hand, but she pulled away from him. "Sarah?"

She looked up and she shook her head. "I keep thinking about how this is all my fault. If I hadn't trusted Bonnie... then…"

"That's not your fault." Zeke said. "She betrayed you. You couldn't have known that was going to happen."

"Still, you had a clear shot of her. You could have stopped this whole thing, but then I got in the way." Sarah said.

"Sarah… we're in this together. Sure, you were a little naïve back there, but that's what I love about you. You're willing to see the best part of people, while I'm more… well… cynical." Zeke said. "I don't want you to change the way you are because frankly there's enough cynical people in the world as is."

Sarah looked up and smiled at Zeke. "Thanks Zeke" She went over and hugged her boyfriend who hugged her back. He enjoyed her embrace. This was the same embrace that had helped him through so much of his problems. If anything, Sarah made him feel at peace, more so than anyone else in his whole life.

"It's a good thing that they cut it off immediately." Reggie said. Sarah and Zeke separated from the hug and looked over to Reggie. He must have been finishing his story of what had happened after the group left. "Saved my life…"

"Hey Zeke…" Sarah said. Zeke looked back to the girl. She shied away a bit from his glance and had a nervous look on her face. "Thanks… for not being mad at me…"

"You don't have to thank me for that." Zeke said. "I love you, Sarah… besides, I don't think anyone can stay mad at you when you start acting cute."

Sarah looked back up and her cheeks flushed red. Yup, she was even cuter now… If that was even possible. Zeke wanted to forget about everything. He almost wanted to kiss her and cuddle up with her for the rest of the evening without having everyone stare at them. In fact, he wanted to cuddle with her that evening at the ski lodge after gun practice, but it never happened.

Zeke could hear Troy talking with Reggie, but he didn't care what either of them were saying. All he could do was look at Sarah while also blushing. "I… love you too… You uh… want to go somewhere that's a little more private. I think I want to try kissing again…"

"I would like that." Zeke said. The two proceeded to walk away from the group. They were careful to not draw too much attention to themselves. They walked over to a part of the yard that seemed isolated. From there, Zeke and Sarah began to kiss. Unlike last time, it wasn't awkward at all. Zeke could feel his body quiver as he continued to kiss the girl. Sarah must have felt the same since her kiss was a little more passionate this time. It was unlike any feeling Zeke had ever experienced. After about a minute or so, the cold won out over their passionate kissing.

Sarah had a huge smile on her face. "That was so cool… I… That was so much better than our first kiss." Sarah said.

"Definitely." Zeke said. "Want to go back and join the others before we get freeze over here?"

"Yeah… That might be best." Sarah said.

"Okay… before we do, I got to ask you something. Do you want to cuddle tonight when we go to bed?" Zeke asked. He could tell that he was blushing now

Sarah nodded her head. "Yeah… I'd like that." Sarah said. "And you're pretty cute when you start blushing."

Zeke could only rub the back of his head in response. He tried to calm himself down as he and Sarah rejoined the group.

"Where'd you two run off to?" Luke asked.

"Nowhere in particular." Sarah said.

"Making out, huh?" Matthew asked. "Walt and I usually need some alone time too."

"We weren't making out." Zeke said.

"Yeah right… I wasn't born yesterday." Matthew said. The two teenagers didn't know what to say in response.

"Whoa… Sarah… I didn't know he was your boyfriend." Reggie said to the girl.

"Yeah… he's the best boyfriend I could ever ask for." Sarah said.

Rebecca smiled as she continued to give Genevieve a bottle. She must have been happy for the two. She looked back down to Genevieve and she said, "Won't be long until she's too old for this."

"That's still a ways off, dear." Alvin said.

Zeke rubbed the back of his head again, and he said, "Yeah… sorry I haven't been paying as much attention to her… I can try to look after her tomorrow."

The two adults exchanged looks before looking to Zeke. "Zeke, try not to get too mad, but… Bec and I are wanting to have Genevieve as part of our family… We want her as our daughter." Alvin said.

Zeke's eyes widened. He wasn't sure what to say. Part of him was sad that other people would look after the toddler rather than him. While Omid did his best to look after Genevieve, he was still heartbroken over Christa's death. This prevented him from being the parent that he wanted to be. He was sometimes harsh and distant. Zeke saw Genevieve as another chance of being an older brother. However, he struggled with being an older brother this time especially when some of his underlying issues were coming to the surface. There was something wrong with him and he knew it. It wasn't healthy for a toddler to be around someone like him even if he did a good job of suppressing those problems.

"Sweetie, I know this is a lot to take in, but you're still a child. We want you to have a sense of childhood and less responsibility. You need some time for yourself. You're still an important person in her life, but she needs a family for healthy development." Rebecca said. "Just like how Clem needed a family…"

"Yeah… I think you're right…" Zeke said. "Gen will be happy with you guys."

"Thanks Zeke… I know this isn't easy for you, but… this will make Genevieve very happy." Alvin said.

"I hope so…" Zeke said.

The rest of the night was uneventful for the most part. Time seemed to move so slow especially since most of the group was cold from the weather. Eventually, the garage door opened. Troy came into the yard with Carlos by his side.

"Dad!" Sarah said. She got up and ran over to hug the man. He returned the hug, but the reunion was short-lived.

"Alright, get your asses to bed, now!" Troy snapped. "I'm shootin any of your dumbasses I see wanderin around before morning!" With that he turned and left the group.

The group members made their way to the plywood. It wasn't like they had much of a choice. Zeke laid down on the plywood with Sarah laying next to him. She took off her glasses and placed them away from her, so they wouldn't get crushed by her or Zeke. She cuddled up next to him to which Zeke placed an arm around her. It wasn't long until they had fallen asleep.

Zeke mumbled upon feeling someone's boot hit his arm. He opened his eyes looked up to see Troy. He had a glare aimed at the two. "What do you want?" Zeke muttered.

"It's time to get up. Bill's coming down to talk to you." Troy said.

"Whatever…" Zeke muttered. He turned to Sarah and nudged her awake.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked. A yawn escaped her lips.

"Time to get up. His royal highness demands an audience." Zeke said in a mocking tone of voice.

"Hey! You ought to show some respect!" Troy snapped.

Zeke got up and he said, "Why would I ever respect some psycho who's holding me captive and who has made two attempts on my life so far?"

Troy glared at Zeke before Sarah said, "Hey Zeke… I can't find my glasses."

Zeke looked back to the girl and went over to check where she put them last night. They were missing. Zeke looked back up to Sarah. They had to find her glasses; he knew that she couldn't see well without them. "Looking for these?" Troy said. Zeke looked back over to see the red rimmed glasses in Troy's hand. He had a smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare." Zeke said with an angry look on his face.

In one move, Troy threw the glasses on the ground and crushed them underneath his boot.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update. I went back and forth on whether to use that last part or not.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I had to deal with the end of the semester which consisted of finishing projects, hours of studying, and final exams… and unfortunately, I'm back to being addicted to Skyrim. Hopefully, it won't be as bad as last time.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Zeke couldn't believe what the guard had done. He knew Sarah had bad eyesight. This was almost like a death sentence for her. Zeke didn't think. In one quick motion, he got up and tackled the guard onto the ground. He proceeded to punch the guard.

"Zeke!" Sarah exclaimed. He ignored her and continued to punch the guard.

Troy managed to push him off and immediately aimed his gun at Zeke. "You f******… piece of f***** shit!" Troy snapped. He had a black-eye and his face was bruised. "I'll kill you!" He went to pull the trigger but stopped when he felt the cold metal of a sharp blade against his throat.

"F*** off." A woman muttered. She didn't sound pleased. Zeke could tell that she had short hair and appeared to be rather strong.

"What the f***, Jane? What the hell are you doing?" Troy snapped.

"I'd like to ask you that very same question. Why would you break that girl's glasses?" The woman asked.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. Hell… why do you even care?" Troy said.

Jane didn't respond for a couple of seconds. Troy grabbed the knife from her and looked it over. "I don't know where the hell you got this, but I'm warning you… The next time you do anything like this, I will f****** kill you. Understand?"

"You really think you scare me?" Jane asked with a glare on her face.

Troy appeared to be starting to back down. It was as if he feared the woman. "Just… don't do that shit ever again, got it?"

Jane didn't reply. She only crossed her arms over her chest. She was waiting for him to leave. Troy grumbled to himself as he started to walk away.

"Th-Thanks…" Sarah said. She was now standing up.

Jane nodded before she grabbed the broken glasses on the ground and handed them to Sarah. "No problem…" Jane said before she left.

Sarah sighed as she looked over the frame; none of the glass remained. The frame was completely useless. Zeke got up and walked over to her. "Are you alright?" Zeke asked.

Sarah shook her head and she said, "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Does your dad have a spare or something?" Zeke asked.

"Maybe… I'll ask him." Sarah said. "Till then… can you help me a little? Everything is pretty blurry."

"Yeah. I got you." Zeke said. He took her hand and led her over to where the group had congregated. He and Sarah arrived just in time. The garage door opened with Carver and Clementine coming out into the yard. Clementine seemed to be getting better. Her bruises have healed a little bit, but she still seemed sad. He noticed that she was now wearing a denim jacket, which went down to her waistline, along with her other clothing.

"There's been increased activity along the fence so be mindful when outside the walls." Carver said. Zeke looked over to the man. "The herd's moved closer as of this morning, but that still doesn't necessarily mean we'll be hit. Know that we're monitoring the situation. Now… there might be some folks who are sore about what happened… at how things went. That's all in the past now. Some of you are new to our community, some of you are members that went astray. But know that you can find redemption here… forgiveness… by proving your worth through what will undoubtedly be hard work." Carver turned to Reggie, and he said, "Reggie, you're nearly back in. Keep following the path, and we'll welcome you back with open arms." He turned his attention back to the group. "I'll let Reggie be an example to you all. I hope you will aspire to become more like him."

"What a load of shit!" Kenny snapped. "You really think I'm going to listen to a damn thing you say?"

The woman from last night and Troy went to aim their assault rifles at Kenny, but Carver made the gesture for them to lower their weapons. Carver had a smirk on his face, and he said, "I do believe Clementine has a message for you… all of you." He turned to Clementine. The girl seemed hesitant to speak. "Remember what we talked about."

Clementine sighed. She looked down and she said, "You guys did not help me. What you did… was selfish and irresponsible… None of you are my friends anymore…"

"And?" Carver said. Clementine looked up to Alvin and Rebecca. "SAY IT!"

Clementine seemed like she was ready to cry. "Baby, it's okay… Just do what he tells you." Rebecca said to prevent the child from getting beaten by Carver.

"I can't…" Clementine sobbed out.

"You will say it, or one of your 'former friends' will die right now!" Carver said as he pulled out a handgun and started to aim it at the group. "Maybe, I'll shoot the worthless infant!" Carver aimed the gun at Genevieve who was being held by Alvin. The toddler curled up and shook out of fear. She was probably crying into Alvin's shoulder to add on top of it.

"B-Bill… What are you doing?" Reggie exclaimed with a horrified look on his face.

"Troy, stop this man!" The other yard member exclaimed. Zeke didn't get his name. He looked just as strong as Alvin but was leaner.

"Whoa, hold on… Sir, there's no need to kill the baby. That's not necessary." Walter said as he got between Carver and the infant. "Let us all just calm down and think about this rationally."

Carver glared at the older man before firing a shot at Walter. Walter was dead before he hit the ground with a bullet wound to his head.

"F***!" Luke exclaimed out of fear.

Sarah screamed out of fear before she held onto Zeke for dear life. The boy hugged the girl to help her feel somewhat safe.

"WALTER!" Matthew exclaimed. He ran over to his partner and huffed. "No… No… NO!" Matthew exclaimed with tears falling down his face.

"Does anyone else want to try anything?" Carver snapped.

"Bill… Please… let's just take this down a notch." The woman from last night said. She had her arms up, and there was a worried look on her face as Carver aimed his handgun at her.

"I don't want you as parents anymore." Clementine finally said.

Carver's glare started to disappear, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face upon hearing the child's words. "Good, Clementine." Carver said as holstered his handgun. "See? That wasn't so hard. Too bad you had to make a mess in the process." Carver said as he looked over to Matthew who had his face buried in Walter's chest. He looked back over to Troy, and he said, "Get some people to get this shit cleaned up. Clementine and I have work to do."

"Okay boss…" Troy said before he went into Howe's.

Carver turned back, and he said, "The rest of you know what you'll be doing." He walked away while dragging Clementine along.

Sarah huffed as she kept her hold on Zeke. "Please tell me it's over." Sarah said.

"Yeah… I think so…" Zeke said as he began to stroke the frightened girl's hair.

He looked over to see Sarita and Kenny trying to comfort Matthew. No one moved. The fact that Carver had actually shot someone out of cold blood made everyone freeze. Even the woman from last night looked terrified.

"The f*** happen?" Everyone heard a new voice coming out into the yard. They looked over to see an Asian-American man approach them. He looked around until he saw Walter's body. "What happened?" The man asked as he looked to the other man from earlier.

"I… f***… Vince… Bill just shot this guy…" The man said. "This guy didn't make a move or anything…"

The man named Vince nodded his head. He seemed surprised by what he heard.

"Vince… You know I don't bullshit this kind of stuff. I tell it exactly as it is." The man said.

"I know…" Vince said. "Alright… I want you, the new guy, Luke, and Al to come with me to the expansion."

The man nodded before he proceeded to follow Vince. Luke also walked over to join the two men. Vince made a gesture for Kenny to follow him. Kenny sighed before he looked to Matthew. "I'm sorry, Matt." Kenny said before he got up and walked over to Vince. Alvin handed off Genevieve to Rebecca before he proceeded to go over to join Vince. Together, they made their way into Howe's Hardware.

"Come with me." The woman from last night said to Zeke and Sarah. Zeke looked around and saw that the other yard members were starting to disperse and go about their daily duties. He even saw some other people go over to Matthew and Sarita. He assumed that they were there to remove Walter's body. Sarah was sniffling but had managed to calm down enough to be able to release Zeke. Zeke took her hand and guided her inside.

* * *

As the two walked through Howe's, Zeke looked over to Sarah and he said, "Are you alright?"

Sarah shook her head and she said, "Walter didn't deserve to die… Why does someone like Carver exist?

"I don't know…" Zeke said. They continued to walk behind Tavia until they heard a taunting voice.

"Well, well, well… Sarah the crybaby has returned." The two teenagers looked over to see another teenager approach them.

"Go away, Becca. No one likes you when you act that way." Sarah said.

The girl, Becca, seemed surprised by what Sarah said. "Oh? So you think you think you're tough now?" Becca said. "I bet I could still beat your ass easily."

"I'm not scared of you anymore." Sarah said.

Becca glared at Sarah before she looked over to Zeke. Her eyes softened, and she said, "Hey there… You're pretty cute… You want to hang out later?"

Sarah looked to Zeke with a scared look on her face. Did she really think that Zeke would abandon her for this girl? "No thanks… I'm dating Sarah." Zeke said.

"What?" Becca exclaimed. "What the hell do you see in her? She's a weak little baby, and she's about as flat-chested as you can get."

"She's getting stronger, and I find her very attractive and cute." Zeke said.

"Boy… I can't believe a cutie like you likes a weirdo like her. See ya…" Becca muttered before she walked away.

"Who was that?" Zeke asked Sarah.

"Becca… she didn't like me or Clem when she first showed up… She became even more of a bully over time…" Sarah said.

"That's rough…" Zeke said.

"Still… she's nothing compared to Carver." Sarah said. The two moved on and saw the woman next to the door.

"Head on inside." The woman said as she opened the door. Zeke and Sarah proceeded to walk inside. Zeke couldn't believe his luck. It seemed Bonnie was going to be supervising him and Sarah. He heard the door close shut from behind him.

"Come on over." Bonnie said. "We're filling magazines." Zeke was reluctant, but he obliged. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Zeke walked over and helped Sarah to one of the lawn chairs, while he sat in the other.

"Sarah, you okay, sweetie? What happened to your glasses?" Bonnie asked. Sarah didn't reply; she just started loading the magazine with bullets.

Zeke didn't bother responding either. He was angry with Bonnie. She was the one that held them at gunpoint and could have gotten them killed.

"Sweetie, I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened." Bonnie said.

"Maybe I don't want to tell you anything." Sarah said as she looked up to Bonnie. She seemed very upset, but she didn't shout or scream at Bonnie. "I nearly lost my boyfriend because of you. And thanks to you, Clem is now miserable and is being kept from her family and friends."

Bonnie frowned, and she said, "Sweetie, what you and everyone else did was wrong. I know it's not your fault, but… you shouldn't have left like you did."

"That's right… Shift the blame to someone else… It can't be your fault. That's not possible." Zeke said with a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Shut it." Bonnie said to the boy. "I'm talking to Sarah… not you."

"Don't talk to him like that… Bonnie, I used to think you were my friend… I guess that was a huge mistake. I'll never trust you again." Sarah said. She had what appeared to be a glare aimed at Bonnie. Zeke was impressed. He had never seen the girl so angry before.

"Sarah… please… we all had our reasons to come get you all. You just… don't understand." Bonnie said. She went to reach out to Sarah, but the girl moved away. Bonnie sighed before she continued, "For what it's worth, I am sorry that things went the way they did. No one was meant to die."

Still there was no response. It remained quiet within the armory as Zeke and Sarah continued to load magazines. Finally, Bonnie spoke up. "Alright! What do you two want from me? I'm sorry that you lost people a couple days ago. I'm sorry that we hunted you down, so we can bring you back here where it was safe! What do you want from me?"

"We want you to shut the hell up!" Zeke snapped as he got out of his chair. "Whining like a little bitch and trying to reason your actions when you know that you were wrong isn't helping anyone. You're annoying! Get off your ass and do something if you want to make things right!"

Bonnie looked to the teenage boy with wide eyes before she got up and left the armory. Zeke huffed and he said, "My gosh… What an annoying woman…" He sat down next to Sarah.

"Yeah… I usually don't encourage yelling, but she really did deserve it…" Sarah said. "Thanks…"

"No prob." Zeke said. "I try to avoid yelling and violence as much as possible now, but… my gosh… I can't stand her…"

With Bonnie now gone, the two could spend some time to cool down and enjoy each other's company until someone else walked inside. It was yet another woman. "Hey guys… I'll be taking over for Bonnie." The woman said as she sat down in Bonnie's chair.

"Shel?" Sarah said.

The woman smiled and she said, "Hey Sarah… It's good to see you." A frown soon formed in the place of the smile. "What happened to your glasses, sweetie? I remember you telling me that you hated contact lenses."

"Troy crushed my glasses in the yard." Sarah said.

"Him… of course…" Shel said. "I should have known. I'll go talk to your dad to see if he may have some glasses in the infirmary. Can you two behave in the meantime?"

"Yeah… as long as you don't bring Bonnie back in here." Zeke said.

Shel nodded in response. "Listen, I've known Bonnie for a long time. She has done a lot of stupid things in her life, but she does have the best intentions at heart."

"So far, that remains to be seen. I'm pretty sure Walter and Nick would still be alive if she hadn't brought Carver to our front door step." Zeke said.

Shel only nodded her head before she walked out. It seemed even she couldn't defend her friend's actions.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: If you haven't guessed by now. Zeke is a man/boy of action. He doesn't just say 'I'm sorry' and expect people to accept his apology. He does more. He tries to befriend people if it's possible and lets a friendship form naturally. As opposed to Bonnie who will apologize profusely and expect the person to accept her apology. Zeke doesn't like those kinds of people. In his mind, actions speak louder than words especially when that person could go on to make the same mistake or betray him.**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Sorry for the extra long hiatus. Between my last update and now, I had to deal with graduation, getting addicted to Skyrim again, and the start of my new job. Btw, updating is going to be extra slow from now on.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine huffed as she looked down to her arms. She was forced to remove the denim jacket and the sleeves of her dress were pulled up. She resisted the urge to cry as blood dripped down her arms. Carver had been cutting her with his knife. As he put it, 'pain is the best teacher'. He was using the pain to teach her to be more like him. Anytime she gave him an answer that he didn't like, he would cut her with the knife.

In front of her was someone that was her age. It was a boy who seemed terrified. Carver had already beaten him quite a bit.

Carver paced around in the office. He looked to Clementine with an angry look on his face. "Clementine, you're making this harder than it needs to be. We need information from this boy. Being nice isn't going to cut it. Use the tools that I've provided. This is your last chance."

Clementine huffed as she looked down to the weapons and tools in front of her. She didn't even know what half of them were meant for. However, that didn't matter. Carver had the intent that every tool and weapon in front of her were meant to torture the young boy. "Clementine… I don't want you to bleed out and die… but it's time that you gave me a return on my investment. I went through a lot to get you back. I'd hate for it to come to nothing.

"I'm not going to hurt someone." Clementine said as she fought through the tears.

Carver sighed before he proceeded to grab the knife from his desk. He was going to cut her again, and she knew it. She started to cry to herself.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you." The boy said. "I told you everything. I got separated from my mom and dad and that's when your people found me."

"Silence!" Carver said. He took the girl's arm and was about to slash a new wound until he heard a new voice.

"What the f*** are you doing?" The new voice exclaimed. Clementine recognized the voice despite the limited time interacting with him. It was Vince.

Carver released Clementine's arm. She was relieved that he didn't cut her, but her relief was masked by the pain of her previous cuts.

"I do believe that my door was closed." Carver said as he walked over to Vince. Clementine looked over and watched the two men. "I didn't want any interruptions."

"Bill… this is going too far. First, you killed that man out in the yard, and now, you're cutting up Clementine. What is this?" Vince said with a horrified look on his face.

"This is necessary. If this community is to continue, it'll need a strong leader." Carver said. "There can't be any room for weakness."

"Bill, please, Clementine doesn't want this. You're hurting her. For her sake, please, just stop." Vince said.

There was a minute of silence between the two men. Carver released a sigh before he said, "You know what, Vince? I think you're right. This does need to stop."

Vince breathed a sigh. "Good. I'm glad-" Vince said but he was cut off when Carver shoved the knife into Vince's throat.

The boy gasped while Clementine exclaimed, "No!"

Carver pulled out the blade and Vince fell onto the ground. He choked on his own blood momentarily before Carver knelt to the ground and proceeded to stab him in the neck. Clementine shuttered and looked away as the sound of skin and bone being ripped apart echoed within the room.

After a couple of minutes went by, she opened her eyes and immediately regretted in doing so. Carver had beheaded Vince. Carver huffed as he held Vince's head. He stood back up and looked to Clementine. "It is time to stop… I've been too nice. I let too many people question my authority when it should not have gone this far."

"W…Why…" Clementine said. She was more afraid of the man than she had ever been.

Carver looked over to the child and he said, "You see, Clementine, Vince has been an outspoken opponent to my methods for a long time. Instead of appreciating what I provided for him, he questioned and challenged me. That is the seed of treachery. It is time that we ushered in a new era here at Howe's." He went over to his desk and took out some bandages. He tossed them over to Clementine. The young girl proceeded to bandage her wounds while Carver announced into the PA system. "Attention all. Attendance is mandatory in the center within ten minutes. That is all." Carver said. The supposed center that Carver mentioned was the center of the hardware store, free of aisles and checkout lanes; it was a prime spot for meetings and announcements that were not meant for everyone in the hardware store. The surprising thing was that Carver wanted everyone to be there.

Clementine finished wrapping the bandages around her wounds and pulled her sleeves down. "Put this on." Carver said as he tossed the denim jacket to Clementine. Clementine did as she was told while cringing a bit from the pain. "Good… now, come on." She noticed that he was carrying a bag with the same hand that had clutched Vince's decapitated head. He dragged Clementine to her feet with his free hand and took her out of the office. While he dragged her outside, Clementine looked to Vince's body. She felt horrible for what happened to him. He always seemed like a really nice person. She was afraid that the same might also happen to her.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke and Sarah walked over and joined the group of guards and fellow prisoners. He noticed Becca giving him a glare. He did his best to ignore her. From what he could tell, she seemed to be nothing more than a troubled teen. "Sarah." They heard Carlos said. Zeke and Sarah looked over to see her father approaching them. Zeke noticed a pair of glasses in his hand.

"Dad." Sarah said.

"Hey sweetie." Carlos said as he knelt down to his daughter's eye-level. "Shel told me what happened. Here you go. These were your mother's glasses. I held onto them to make sure I would never forget her." He placed the glasses on the girl. Her mother's glasses seemed rather eloquent compared to Sarah's old red-rimmed glasses.

She seemed more mature with them on. "I… Thank you, dad." Sarah said before she proceeded to hug the man.

Carlos returned the hug. The moment between them was very nice, but it didn't last long. Everyone became quiet as soon as Carver appeared with Clementine by his side. Something didn't look right. For one, Clementine looked horrified, and for another, carver was carrying a bag. In fact, having this meeting was already unsettling since Carver could have made announcements through the PA system. For Zeke, the bag indicated that Carver was going to show them something.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your cooperation. As a community, we have come far, but… there are a few here who have opposed us… who stand in the way of our long-term survival. Most of you know them as the people out in the yard who help us with the menial tasks, but there was one more amongst us." Carver proceeded to dump the bag's contents on the ground. It was the head of a man which had since reanimated. Zeke's eyes widened. It was Vince!

There were gasps around the room. "Vince!" A couple of men exclaimed.

"No!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Zeke also noticed some crying. He looked over to see Shel crying. Her hands were over her face while Becca looked horrified. She was left speechless.

"My gosh…" Carlos muttered.

There whispers and murmurs from everyone within the group until Carver cleared his voice. "Vince was a good man… but he posed a threat to this community. I hope you all will aspire to not follow his example." His eyes were locked on the two men that had yelled out his name earlier, Bonnie, Shel, and Becca.

Panic alarms were going off in Zeke's head. Something like this screamed for him to make a run for it. But he couldn't. If he tried to run off, Carver would have him killed. "Thank you for your time. Now, you may all go back to work." With that said, Carver left with Clementine.

Everyone else dispersed and went back to work. However, the two men, Bonnie, Shel, and Becca stayed and went to Vince's reanimated head.

"Coming here was a mistake…" One of the men said. He appeared to be in his late teens and possibly his early twenties.

"I… I can't believe…. Why…?" Shel muttered out. She sounded very upset.

"I…I'm sorry, Shel…" Becca said as she hugged her older sister in an attempt to comfort her. Zeke was surprised by the change in attitude. Seeing Vince's death must have traumatized her. He remembered how he almost acted the same way when Decker died. When his little brother died, he was filled with remorse. He took Decker for granted, or at least, it felt that way.

He started to walk away with Sarah who seemed very shaken up by the whole experience. "Are you alright?" Zeke asked. The girl didn't respond. She must have been scared out of her mind. The rest of the day was uneventful, but Zeke could tell that mostly everyone was on edge about Carver. Even some of his own people seemed nervous and were looking around occasionally.

Once their chores were done, Zeke and Sarah made their way out into the yard. However, along the way to the yard, they saw Bonnie walk up to them. "Hey… I'm sorry about everything. I truly thought that we were helping you all out…" Bonnie said. Zeke and Sarah stopped and looked to the woman. "I realize now that I was wrong… so wrong. I'm so sorry… and I want to make it up to you and your group."

"Okay… What do you have in mind?" Zeke whispered. The whole scenario with Vince would make him ally with almost anyone to get him and his group away from Carver.

"Nothing solid yet. Just be ready to act… tonight." Bonnie said. She turned and walked away.

Zeke sighed and he said, "Do you think we can trust her?"

Sarah nodded her head and she said, "Vince was the leader of her group. They showed up here at Howe's at the same time."

"Those two guys, Shel, Becca, and Bonnie… they were part of Vince's group?" Zeke said.

"They were his group." Sarah said. "We should get back to the yard."

Zeke nodded, and the two teenagers made their way to the yard.

Once out in the yard, Zeke and Sarah went over to a lawn chair. Zeke sat down and allowed his girlfriend to sit on his lap. "Because we all know what happened today. I don't know what that sonuvabitch has in store for us tomorrow." Kenny said. It seems the group was in a heated debate on what they should do next.

"So you want to bring in a bunch of walkers? That is not smart… That's suicide." Reggie said.

"I really hate to say it, but I think I'd rather take my chances with the walkers than to stay here one more day. Carver is completely off his rocker." Mike said.

Reggie didn't have a response to this. He looked as if he was ready to argue, but nothing ever came out.

"I have to get Clementine away from him. Who knows what he's doing to her." Rebecca said.

"But it's risky to go out there. There's no guarantees… especially for me…" Reggie said.

"This whole damn thing is risky." Kenny said.

"Look, we do need a plan." Luke said. "We can't just get a bunch of walkers come this way and attack this place without a plan especially when Clem is in there."

"We figure it out when the time comes. We improvise." Kenny said.

"That's not a plan. You don't plan to improvise." Mike said.

"Bonnie and her group might be able to help us." Sarah said.

"What? That bitch who put us in this mess?" Kenny said. "I ain't trustin her."

"We might not have a choice." Alvin said. "Think about it. They're inside, they have access to everything in Howe's, and they can ensure that Clementine will stay safe."

"Vince was the leader of their group before they came to Howe's." Luke said. "They all still looked up to him. I'm sure they aren't happy about his death."

Kenny grumbled to himself before he finally muttered, "Fine… but they do one thing I don't like, and they're dead."

"Fine… whatever." Mike muttered as he rolled his eyes. He must be getting used to the fact that Kenny was, for the most part, all talk.

"Well… what did Bonnie say?" Luke asked Zeke and Sarah.

"Just be ready to act. They're still figuring out the entire plan." Zeke said.

"Great…" Kenny muttered. "They don't even know what they're doing."

"They're just making sure that everything will work out for the best." Sarita said as she placed a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "Don't worry."

Kenny shook his head in response. Zeke looked over to see Jane approaching the group. It seemed that she was ready to move on as well. "Nice glasses." Jane said as she walked past Zeke and Sarah.

"Thanks." Sarah said with a smile.

"You're able to see alright?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah. I guess I got lucky. My mom must have had the same prescription as me." Sarah said.

"Well… they look really nice on you." Zeke said.

Sarah blushed and she said, "Thanks."

All the group could do was engage in small talk. They had to wait for Bonnie and her group to do something.

* * *

Soon enough, there was a commotion where the garage door was. Everyone stood up and watched the garage door. They hoped it was Bonnie and her group. After a few seconds, the garage door opened. The two men from earlier stood there with a duffel bag.

"Come on… We got to get out of here." The stocky man said. Most of the group ran over to the two men. The stocky man handed out the few firearms that they had in the duffel bag while the younger man kept a look-out.

Zeke was hesitant to take a gun. He still preferred his bow and arrow, but beggars couldn't be choosers. "We still need to get Clem." Alvin said.

"We need to regroup with Bonnie, Becca, and Shel, first." The stocky man said. He and the younger man led the way inside. The rest of the group followed behind them.

Sarah stopped and looked over to Jane when she noticed that the woman was going in a different direction. "Where are you going?" Sarah asked.

Jane stopped and looked to the girl. "Sorry kid… I don't travel with people." Before Sarah could say another word, Jane walked away.

"Come on. We can't worry about her now. She'll find her own way out." Zeke said. Sarah appeared to be reluctant, but she did follow her boyfriend and the group.

… **To be continued.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Okay… First, I do apologize for taking so long to update. Life has really caught up to me, but in a good way. Since early-January, I have been working as an intern. I work around 45 to 55 hours a week on average. I have to work at least 40 hours a week. As a result, I don't have as much time to myself as I used to have and I am tired by the time I get home. I hope this chapter will make up for it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

The group continued to make their way through Howe's. The tension and anxiety within the group was intense. Zeke was sure that no one wanted to get caught. He looked up ahead and saw Bonnie, Shel, and Becca. "Alright… we need to get Clem and then we're out of here." The stocky man said.

"We also need to kill Carver." Becca said.

"Wait… what?" Luke said. "We didn't discuss this."

"If he lives, he'll just hunt us down. There's nothing to discuss." The young man said.

Luke seemed like he wanted to argue, but he knew that the man was right. "Alright… How should we go about this?" Luke asked.

"Carver's got Clem in his office. He had Wy set up a cot for her." Bonnie said as she gestured to the stocky man who nodded in response.

"That's all I needed to know." Kenny muttered before he started to walk away from the rest of the group.

"Kenny." Sarita whispered. She went to follow him, but Matthew stopped her by getting in front of her.

"You need to get out of here. I don't want you or your unborn child in any danger. I'm not losing you like I lost Walter" Matthew whispered. He turned and he said, "Besides, I got a score to settle with that bastard."

"What about Kenny?" Sarita whispered.

Matthew didn't reply. He walked away from the group to follow Kenny.

"Dammit. Neither of them are thinking straight." Luke whispered. He turned to the group and he said, "Y'all get out of here. We'll meet up at Parker's Run. Carlos knows the way." He sprinted to catch up to Kenny and Matthew.

Zeke looked around the room. He was now feeling anxious. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"Something doesn't feel right." Zeke said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luke caught up with Matthew and Kenny. Luke nudged the door open and crept into the room. He saw the cot immediately and went to it. He looked to the body that was underneath the covers. It couldn't have been an adult's body; it was too small. It had to have been Clementine. He nudged the body while he looked around the room for Carver, but he couldn't see all that well.

The body was moving but not in a way to get up. "Clem, come on. We're getting out of here." Luke whispered. He pulled back the covers to see a preteen boy who was tied up and mouth gagged.

"What's taking so long?" Kenny whispered.

"It's a trap." Luke said as he looked back to Kenny.

Suddenly, the lights came on. The three men were temporarily blinded. Luke got up to see some movement behind the desk. His eyes soon adjusted to the light to see Carver holding Clementine at gunpoint. He could see that Carver's usual chair had been replaced by a swivel computer chair. He was expecting them.

"Good observation, Luke, but it's too late." Carver said.

* * *

In the Hardware store, the lights had also come on. The group was stunned to see that Carver's guards surrounded them. The guards were using assault rifles. It was a stalemate since Vince's people were also using assault rifles. It seemed that everyone was taking aim at each other.

"Weapons down, assholes!" Troy snapped.

"Not happening, dickhead." Wy said.

Troy grumbled under his breath. He grabbed a radio that was clipped to his belt and spoke into it. "Hey boss. They aren't backing down."

Zeke could hear a muffled voice from the other end. He could have sworn he heard, "Kill them." A satisfied smile formed on Troy's lips before he clipped the radio to his belt.

"Open fire!" Troy exclaimed.

"Get down!" The young man exclaimed. He took Becca's hand and ran for cover. Most of the group did the same. Wy started firing at Troy, but the man dived down into the one of the aisles. Carver's people did as they were told to do and started firing at the group. Bullets flew everywhere with some finding their marks. Bonnie and Shel were hit several times. From what Zeke could tell while taking cover with Sarah was that Bonnie would die in a few minutes even with medical treatment. Shel was slightly better off.

Alvin and Rebecca took cover with Genevieve. Alvin was hit in the leg which caused him to fall down and drop Genevieve. The toddler bawled from the noise and hitting the ground. Rebecca ran over and picked her up while Alvin got behind cover.

Sarita shot back and managed to kill one of Carver's guards who wasn't paying attention to her. However, a bullet grazed Sarita's shoulder which forced her to take cover.

Zeke got up and fired at a couple of guards. He shot one in the head and the other in the abdomen. It could be a fatal shot. He ducked behind the aisle with Sarah when he saw the guards aiming at him. Several bullets hit the metal aisle. It was no use. There was no way they were going to survive without help.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine looked over to Kenny, Luke, and Matthew. She could tell that Kenny was about to lose it. "Let her go, asshole!" Kenny snapped.

Carver shook his head and he said, "When will you realized that you already lost. I can read you crippled f**** like a book. You ran off thinking that you could run away from your problems. You thought that you could keep her from me." Carver gestured to Clementine before aiming back at the three men. "You were wrong. I found where you stayed. You thought you could run from me again to a new shithole. Again, you were wrong. I found you and there was no escape. And now, here we stand. Your people are being slaughtered down there and soon you will join them."

Kenny yelled out in anger and ran at Carver. Carver turned the gun on Kenny and fired a shot. Kenny jolted back and fell to the ground with a bullet hole in his chest.

"Kenny!" Clementine exclaimed.

Luke pulled out his handgun and aimed at Carver, but Carver used Clementine as a human shield. Luke was stunned and lowered his weapon. Carver poked out from behind Clementine and aimed at Luke next. Before he could fire, Clementine struggled in his grip and made him miss his shot. "You're not using me to kill anymore people!" Clementine exclaimed as she continued to thrash in his grip.

Carver went to pistol whip the girl. However, he gave Luke the opening he needed. He fired a shot into Carver's shoulder which made him jolt back and release his grip on the girl and the gun. Clementine went to Kenny who was getting back up.

"I'm not… dead… yet." Kenny muttered before he went toward Carver. Matthew walked over to attack Carver as well.

Carver pulled out another gun. This one was smaller. He aimed it at Matthew and fired, but the shot only grazed him. Regardless, Matthew fell to the ground and yelled out in pain. Clementine ran over to Luke and the boy, Gill. She looked back to see Carver aim at Kenny. He cursed when the gun wouldn't fire; the gun must have jammed. With that, Kenny punched Carver into a cabinet.

"Alright. I guess we're doing this the old fashion way." Carver said. He threw a punch at Kenny which sent him to the floor. It was obvious that he wasn't doing good after that shot. Matthew got up and ran over to fight Carver as well.

"Here. Cut him loose. I gotta help em." Luke said as he handed a knife to Clementine. Clementine nodded as Luke ran over to join in on the fight. She started to cut Gill's bindings as she heard the men fighting in the background. She knew she didn't have much time to cut Gill loose. Finally, the bindings snapped for his wrists and she started to cut the bindings for his ankles as he removed the gag from his mouth. Clementine finished cutting him loose and looked back. Carver was beating Luke and Matthew. The older man was too strong for them.

"We gotta go." Gill said.

"Not without my friends." Clementine said to the boy as she looked back to see Carver punching Luke in the face repeatedly. She looked over to see the gun that Carver was using earlier. She ran over and grabbed the gun and aimed it at Carver. She took a deep breath. She knew that the revolver would have a lot of recoil. She fired the gun which knocked her down onto the ground. She groaned as she sat upright, and her eyes widened. She saw Carver who had blood coming out of his mouth. From what Clementine could tell, it was a perfect shot to the heart, but she also saw Kenny behind Carver. It looked like he kept Carver from moving. "Kenny!" Clementine exclaimed. Both men fell to the ground as Clementine dropped the gun she used to fire at Carver.

Luke and Matthew huffed as they got up. They went over to Kenny while Gill and Clementine joined them. Kenny coughed up some blood and he chuckled. "You always were… a good shot… Clem." Kenny muttered.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Clementine said as tears formed in her eyes.

"That sonuvabitch… saw you… I knew that… he would have gone… for Luke's gun…" Kenny muttered. "I was going to die anyway…"

"Kenny… Look, just hang on-" Luke said, but Kenny interrupted him.

"Just shut up… and let me go in peace." Kenny said before he coughed up more blood. "My wife and son… are waiting for me…."

"What about Sarita?" Matthew asked.

Kenny looked to Matthew and he muttered, "Take care of her." He turned back to Clementine and he said, "Don't give up… Clem. Never… let this world make you… into something you're not. I'll say hi to Lee for ya." Kenny's raspy breathing got more intense as he said those words. He looked up to the ceiling as Clementine started to cry. A small smile formed on Kenny's face. It was as if he was at peace with himself. It wasn't long until his chest stopped moving and the spark in his eyes were gone. He was dead.

 **Zeke's POV**

The group was pinned down by the remaining guards. Zeke could hear footsteps approaching the aisle that he and Sarah were using for cover. He knew it was Troy; he was going to shoot them from the other side of the aisle. Zeke aimed the handgun and readied himself to fire at Troy. As soon as Troy came out, Zeke fired a shot into Troy's leg. "GAH!" Troy yelled out as he fell to the ground. Zeke went to fire another shot, but the gun clicked. He was out of ammo. Troy cursed under his breath as he used the aisle to get back up. "Now that… is music to my ears." Troy said. He aimed the gun at Zeke and Sarah. The teenage girl wrapped her arms around Zeke and shook in fear. There was nothing Zeke could do. If he tried to dive out of cover to avoid getting shot by Troy, the remaining guards would gun him and Sarah down. If he did nothing, he would still get gun downed.

However, before Troy could fire a shot, a knife protruded out of his neck. He dropped his gun and started coughing out blood. The knife was pulled out of his throat as he fell to the ground. Jane stood behind him and shook her head. Before Zeke could say a word, she jumped onto the shelf of the aisle and went to the scaffolding that the guards were on. Zeke could hear several gunshots, but there was also the sound of bodies hitting the floor of the scaffolding and people choking on their own blood.

Several minutes passed by before he heard Jane. "Alright… They're dead… You can come out now."

Zeke's eyes widened. "She killed all those guards." Zeke said.

"Whoa…" Sarah muttered. The group came out from cover aside from Carlos and Shel.

Zeke looked around to see several bullet holes throughout the hardware store. He looked up to the scaffolding and saw Jane stab one of the guards in the head. "Make sure these guys are dead." Jane said to the remaining group members.

"I… I can't believe this happened." Reggie said.

Mike went over to Bonnie's corpse and placed a hand on it. "I wish things could have been different…" Mike said with a frown.

Wy walked over to Mike and he said, "She cared about you too…"

Mike released a solemn hum in response.

"Shel?" Becca exclaimed. Zeke looked over to see Becca run into one of the aisles. Shel was lying on the ground. It seemed that Carlos had finished bandaging her wounds. "Will… Will she be alright?"

Carlos huffed and he said, "She isn't bleeding internally, but her health isn't very good right now. She needs rest… and even after that… it's hard to say whether she will wake up."

"Oh my gosh…." Becca muttered. Her voice cracked; it sounded as if she was ready to cry.

"It'll be okay, Becca. Shel's tough." The young man said as he tried to comfort her.

"This was a bad idea…" Reggie said. "If we had just stayed in the yard, none of this would have happened."

"We had to make a move." Wy said. "You saw what Carver did to Vince."

"We should have worked together. Carver may not have been perfect, but he did single-handedly get this place up and running." Reggie said. "I could have helped make things better from the inside."

"There's no point in fighting over it." Jane said as she jumped down from the scaffolding. "Hurry up and check the rest of the bodies. I need to get to the roof." She walked past them and went to the roof.

"Thanks… for helping out." Zeke said.

Jane stopped and looked to Zeke and Sarah. "No problem." Jane said before she continued to walk away.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine continued to cry as she looked to Kenny's corpse. She had lost yet another friend because of this world. She was stunned when she heard pained grunts in the form of laughter. "You… I guess… after all this time… you really are a weak… spineless coward." It was Carver. "I was killing your supposed friends… and you hesitated… to shoot me… Pathetic… If it wasn't for that… redneck… I probably would have killed you…"

Clementine looked to Carver with a glare. She seethed as she looked around for a weapon. "You… You… I HATE YOU!" Clementine shouted. She found the weapon in the form of Luke's machete which was on the ground. She got up and ran over to the machete.

"Clem… no." Luke said. He went to stop her, but she slashed at him; it was a flesh wound. "GAH!" Luke exclaimed as he backed away. He caressed his new wound. He was shocked that the girl would attack him.

"That's it… There's my girl…" Carver said as he coughed out some blood. Clementine's glare intensified as she looked to the older man. "It took a while… but you really are… my heir… I die knowing… that you'll continue my legacy."

Clementine shouted out as she brought the machete down onto the man's head. "Clem!" Luke exclaimed.

"I… HATE… YOU!" Clementine shouted. With every word that she shouted out, she slashed the at the man's skull with the machete. He was already dead, but that wouldn't stop her.

"Matthew, stop her!" Luke exclaimed.

Matthew crossed his arms over his chest and he said, "No… This son of a bitch deserves it."

"My mommy!" Clementine exclaimed as she slashed at the man's skull. "My daddy!" Yet another slash with the machete. "My baby sister!" Another slash. "YOU MADE OUR LIVES A LIVING HELL! YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS! THE ONLY OTHER PERSON WHO KNEW LEE IS GONE AND IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU!" Clementine exclaimed as more tears flowed from her eyes. She hacked at the man several more times. Blood splattered onto her clothes and face as her breathing got heavier.

Finally, out of exhaustion, Clementine dropped the machete and fell onto Carver's corpse.

"Clem…" Luke said. He crawled over to the girl and helped her off of Carver. She cried into his chest as he rubbed her back. "It's okay… It's okay… I gotcha…"

 **To be continued…**

 **A/N: A very intense and bloody end. Clementine almost appeared out of character. Don't worry though. I'm not going to make the same mistakes Telltale did with Season 3 Clem. This is a one-time deal with Clementine breaking down and killing someone brutally and out of cold blood. Kenny dying and Carver mocking Kenny was just the straw that broke the camel's back.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: A huge thanks goes out to Termin8r for helping me with the plot of this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.**

With Carver's group dead, the group members were scrambling to help their injured members to the nursing station. Carlos picked up and carried Shel with Becca close behind him. It seemed she wanted to be at her sister's side. Wyatt helped Alvin over to a nearby chair so that Carlos could take a look at his leg while Sarita went over to the other chair. She gripped her should and cringed from the pain. In similar fashion, Alvin did the same with his injured leg.

Carlos laid Shel on one of the beds and started to treat her wounds. After a while, he said, "Alright Becca. Make sure that your sister is still breathing. Watch her chest. If it stops, you yell for me."

"O-Okay…" Becca said. She seemed nervous and scared. She didn't want to lose her sister.

Carlos ran over to Alvin next. He examined the bullet wound and he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts like hell." Alvin said as he huffed.

Carlos took off his backpack and got ready to apply some disinfectant to the wound. "Ready?" Carlos asked.

Alvin shook his head in response and readied himself for the searing pain. Carlos applied the disinfectant which made Alvin jolt in pain. "AHH!" Alvin exclaimed. "Shit…"

Carlos proceeded to wrap the bandages around his wound.

Sarah walked over to Sarita and she said, "I'm not as experienced as my dad, but… maybe I can help you."

Sarita smiled and she said, "I would appreciate it, sweetie." Sarita took off her hooded sweatshirt and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal the scarred skin where the bullet had managed to graze her.

Sarah examined the wound and she said, "It's not too terrible, but we'll need something to bring the swelling down and we'll probably need to bandage it."

"Okay." Sarita said. Zeke looked back upon hearing some footsteps. His eyes widened when he saw Luke, Matthew, and a young boy around Clementine's age approaching the group. The two men were beaten and bloody. In addition, Luke was bleeding from his abdomen; it didn't look serious. It was almost unnoticeable since he was carrying Clementine in his arms.

He turned his head when he heard Rebecca gasped. "Luke… Matthew… Oh my gosh… My poor baby. Is she alright?" Rebecca ran over to Luke who was carrying Clementine. The young girl had specs of blood all over her and her clothes. Plus, her hands were covered in blood.

"She's alright… just exhausted." Luke said.

"What happened?" Rebecca asked.

"It was a trap… Carver knew we were going to escape from the get-go." Matthew said.

"We just played him at his own game…" Alvin muttered.

"Without Jane, we would have been done for." Mike said.

Luke huffed as he carried Clementine to the other bed which was next to Shel.

"Things weren't much better in Carver's office. He used Clem as a human shield… She fought back and got away from him." Luke said. "It all went down to a fist fight from there. If it hadn't been for Clem… I'm not sure if we would have survived." He turned to Rebecca and he said, "I need to talk to you alone… Can you hand off Genevieve to someone else?"

"Of course." Rebecca said.

She went over to Zeke and said, "Could you take care of Gen for a few minutes?"

"Sure." Zeke said as he accepted the toddler.

"Mama!" Genevieve cried out as Rebecca gave the toddler to Zeke.

"It's okay, baby girl. Mommy will be right back." Rebecca said to the toddler. Genevieve whined as Rebecca walked over to Luke which turned into crying.

"Hey… hey… You used to be so good with me looking after you." Zeke said as he bobbed the toddler in his arms. "Are you fussy because you're tired?" Zeke asked. He had the toddler lay her head on his shoulder and continued to bob her and started to rub her back to comfort her. It wasn't long until her crying turned to whimpering which soon became nothing. He knew she was asleep.

"You're good at that." The young boy said.

Zeke chuckled and he said, "Just takes some practice… It comes pretty naturally. I'm Zeke."

"I'm Gill. It's nice to meet someone normal for once." Gill said.

Zeke scoffed and he said, "I'm normal?"

"You're not attacking me. I consider that normal." Gill said.

Their conversation was cut short when he heard someone crying out. They looked over to see Sarita crying into Matthew's chest as he did his best to comfort her. However, tears were also flowing from his eyes.

"Kenny didn't make it… did he?" Zeke said as he turned to Gill. It didn't take him long to connect the dots. He could see the depressed looks on Matthew's and Luke's faces. Plus, Kenny was nowhere to be seen.

Gill nodded and he said, "He died a hero. Clementine didn't take it too… She just… It was scary. She got Luke's machete and… she… I've never seen so much blood."

"You don't have to explain it any further." Zeke said. "Are you okay?"

Gill nodded and he said, "I just want to find my parents… They're still out there somewhere… looking for me."

"We'll find them… Don't worry." Zeke said.

"Thanks…" Gill said as a smile formed on his face. Zeke looked back to Clementine with a worried look. He had some idea of what happened from Gill's explanation, but he'll need to get the whole story from Luke. He could tell that Gill was too traumatized by what he saw.

Zeke could hear a set of footsteps approaching from behind him. He looked back to see Jane running past him to address the group. "Looks like our luck isn't going to hold. Remember that huge herd that Carver was talking about in the yard, well… it heard us and now that herd is getting ready to slam into this place."

The group members looked shocked. They looked to each other with concern before turning back to Jane. "What are we going to do?" Luke asked. "Can we fight em off?"

"Not a chance. The herd's too big. We need to leave, but first… we're going to have to cover ourselves." Jane said.

"Cover ourselves? The hell does that mean?" Mike asked.

"We have to kill a couple of walkers and cover ourselves with their entrails. It'll keep them from attacking us." Jane explained.

"That is f****** crazy. That won't work." Mike said as he walked up to Jane.

"No. She's right. That's how Clem got through Savannah. Her guardian covered her and she got through. The whole city was completely overran. Tavia told me that you could barely walk through the streets." Luke explained.

"I could vouch for that as well. I pulled that move a couple times myself." Zeke said.

"And what happened to her guardian?" Mike asked.

"He was already bit. He wasn't going to make it regardless of what happened." Luke said.

"Look, if you don't want to live, fine, whatever… You can stay here and get eaten. For anyone who doesn't want to be eaten-" Jane said but she was interrupted by a loud crunching sound. "Shit…" Jane said before she ran to the source of the crunching sound. Luke and Russell followed behind her.

Rebecca walked over to Zeke and she said, "I'm glad you haven't lost your touch. Won't mind if I take her back?"

"I don't mind." Zeke said. Rebecca picked up the toddler from Zeke's grasp. She didn't move an inch; she must have been very tired.

The group members waited for the three to return. Zeke looked around and could tell that the adults seemed anxious. Sarah joined Zeke and she said, "I can't believe all of this happened."

"We got really lucky. We should have had more casualties." Zeke said as he pondered on how he and his group were outmanned and outgunned.

"Do you always look at the bright side?" Sarah joked.

Zeke scoffed. "I guess you got a point. We made it. I guess we just need to worry more about the herd outside. Zeke said.

Sarah nodded. Something must have caught her eye. She looked past him with wide eyes and her mouth wide open. Zeke turned to see what she was looking at. Jane, Luke, and Russell were back but were carrying a couple of dead walkers with them. Jane threw the corpses that she was carrying onto the ground and huffed while Luke and Russell did the same. "We need to hurry. That loud crash was the herd smashing down one of the garage doors. They're getting in as we speak." She got on her knees and slashed one of the walkers open and started to cover herself in the entrails.

"Sarah. Come here. I'll cover you." Carlos said as he went up to another corpse. Sarah walked over to her dad to get covered. One by one, the group members started to cover themselves as well. Rebecca made sure to cover Shel and Clementine since they were unconscious.

"Here." Jane said as she kicked the walker that she used to cover herself and Luke to Zeke and Gill. "Cover each other."

Zeke crouched down and started to cover himself with the entrails. Oddly enough, it didn't feel too weird for him; he could tell that most of the adults were disgusted when they were gutting and putting on the entrails. He was used to gutting animals from his youth. However, he wasn't used to smearing the entrails on himself, and the smell was far worse than any animal that he has ever skinned.

"Do we have to do that? It's really gross." Gill said.

"I know, but it's our only ticket out of here. Come here. I'm covering you next." Zeke said as he finished covering himself in the entrails. Gill was hesitant, but obliged. He whined in disgust as Zeke covered him.

"I'll get your back." Luke said as he walked over to Zeke. He started to cover Zeke's back with the entrails.

"Okay. That'll work." Zeke said. "Turn around. I'm going to get your back." Gill nodded and turned around. Zeke covered him with the entrails until he was sure that the walkers wouldn't notice him too much.

"Hurry up… here they come." Jane said. Zeke stood up and saw several walkers limping into the hardware store.

"Alright… how do we do this?" Luke asked.

"You just walk through and don't panic." Zeke said.

"Exactly." Jane said.

"Alright… if we get separated, we meet up at Parker's Run, alright?" Luke said. "Carlos and I know the way. Plus, there's signs all over the place."

"Come on." Jane said as she walked over toward the door where the walkers were starting to come in through. The group members followed behind her with Mike carrying Shel and Wyatt carrying Clementine. Zeke figured that Alvin was too injured to carry her. The walkers were feasting on the corpses of Carver's men. Now that the gunfire had died down, they must have been attracted to the corpses.

The group maneuvered their way through the herd that was getting into Howe's so that they could use a different garage door to get out. Aside from a few snarls and growls, the group went unnoticed. Jane and Russell opened the garage door as quietly as they could. They would only have a few seconds to get out of Howe's before the herd would noticed the new opening.

Jane was the first to hop down and signaled everyone else to follow. So far, everything was working out. They proceeded into the herd as it made its way to the new opening. The numbers of the herd soon started to separate the group members from each other. They were scattered amongst the herd.

"Jane?" Carlos said as he looked around.

Zeke could hear Sarah's heavy breathing. She was starting to panic. More than likely, her anxiety was getting the best of her.

Carlos hushed his daughter, but it was no use. She was looking in every direction. She was going slower and slower until she finally came to a stop.

"Sarah, we have to keep moving." Carlos said as he turned back to her.

"Hey come on… It's alright." Zeke said as he nudged her forward.

Suddenly, a loud scream was heard. It sounded like someone was dying. Sarah gasped at the scream. Zeke looked to the source of the screaming just in time to hear gunshots. He wasn't sure who it was, but it sounded like one of the adults.

Sarah started to hyperventilate which drew the attention of the nearby walkers.

"Sarah. Look at me." Carlos said. "Everything will-" He was interrupted mid-sentence when a walker bit down on his neck. He screamed in agony as the creature tore off most of his neck.

"DDDDAAAAADDDD!" Sarah screamed. Zeke looked around and pulled out his knife. He didn't have the chance to reload his gun. He noticed several walkers limping over to Carlos to start feasting on his body. Meanwhile, Sarah whimpered and continued to hyperventilate.

He looked over to Gill to check on him but only saw him running away past a few walkers. Unfortunately, Zeke couldn't worry about him now. He had to calm his girlfriend and get them out of this mess. He slashed at an approaching walker and killed it with the knife.

Zeke noticed that the walkers were more preoccupied by eating Carlos than the whimpering teen next to him. He knew that wouldn't last very long. Zeke grabbed Sarah by her shoulders so that she was looking at him only. "Sarah… I know it's hard, but you need to stay calm." Zeke said.

Sarah continued to breathe heavy until she finally said, "I…I can't… I… I need my daddy!" Her shouts drew some of the walkers toward them. Zeke looked around. There was only one thing he could think of. Sarah wasn't able to move; fear, panic, and grief paralyzed her. In one movement, Zeke managed pick her up and ran as fast as he could away from the approaching walkers. He was lucky that Sarah was so light and wasn't struggling in his grasp. He was also fortunate that he was taller than her. Otherwise, carrying her would have been more difficult.

* * *

He huffed as he continued to carry the girl. She may have been light, but she was still a fifteen-year-old girl. He could hear the walkers from earlier still chasing him. He looked up to see the edge of the forest. He was so close. He had to push himself just a bit more. He huffed as he got closer and closer to the edge of the forest. He could hear the growls getting closer. They were gaining on him and Sarah. He was almost through the herd when something from behind him knocked him down. He groaned upon hitting the ground. He got his arms up in time to protect himself from the walker.

He looked over to see the other walkers approaching Sarah who was in no condition to move or help him. She looked up to see the walkers approaching her. This was enough to make her jump to her feet. She stumbled away from the undead creatures before tripping back onto the ground. "No, no, no, NO!" Sarah screamed as she crawled back from the walkers. She finally got to her feet and avoid the approaching walkers. She looked to Zeke with wide eyes before ducking under a walker's swinging arm but she was cut off by another walker.

"Just go! Run!" Zeke exclaimed as he fought back the walker that was on top of him. He knew that she would die getting to him. "RUN!" Zeke shouted at the girl. With that, the girl turned and ran from the approaching walkers that were now more interested in Zeke. He was too exhausted to bring out his knife and stab the creature that was on top of him while keeping it from eating him. Its gnashing teeth got closer to his neck. The other walkers were also getting closer. However, something unexpected happened. A knife protruded from the walker's skull. It became completely lifeless. The knife was pulled out and the creature's body was thrown off him. He huffed when he saw Jane. She looked around to the other walkers and proceeded to kill several of the creatures with her knife. Zeke huffed as he got off the ground.

"Thanks." Zeke said in between huffs.

"We'll talk later." Jane said as she pulled out her knife from one of the walker's skull. The creatures continued to limp toward her and Zeke. There was too many. "Come on." She made a run for it into the woods. Zeke followed behind her. He nearly got grabbed by a couple of the walkers. He wasn't sure if anyone else made it. What's worse was that he figured that Sarah thought he was dead. After sprinting for a few yards, he finally fell to the ground and huffed before throwing up. Exhaustion had finally kicked in. He rolled onto his back and looked at the night sky. "Shit…" He heard Jane say before he blacked out.

… **To be continued.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. I got into Skyrim again. And for a time, I was burnt out on The Walking Dead. I don't know if I'm over that now. I guess we'll see.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

Clementine groaned as she opened her eyes. She sat upright and immediately looked down at her hands. The blood that once covered them was gone, but the memories of what she did haunted her. She did something that she thought she would never do. She killed someone. She killed someone out of revenge. She wasn't defending anyone from that madman. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Carver had won, and she knew it. He may be gone, but he succeeded. He turned her into a monster just like him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a pair of hands covering hers. It felt almost comforting. She looked up to see her mother. She seemed worried.

"You had a long night, didn't you?" Rebecca said.

Clementine nodded and she said, "I… I killed him…"

"I know." Rebecca said. "Luke told me everything." Rebecca said as she moved one of her hands to caress Clementine's cheek. "We've all done things that we're not proud of. Carver… was an evil man. None of this is your fault. Anyone who endured what you went through would have done what you did."

"I don't know if I can believe that." Clementine said as her voice cracked. Tears appeared in her eyes. "I'm… I'm not who I used to be… Not anymore."

"You just need time." Rebecca said.

Clementine huffed to calm herself down and she said, "Is everyone else okay?"

"Unfortunately… no." Rebecca said. "Thanks to Jane, we survived Carver's guards. She saved our lives. Then, we had to leave Howe's. That herd that Carver was talking about came."

Clementine nodded as she looked down to her now ruined dress and jacket. "That would explain why I'm covered in all of this gross stuff."

"Yeah." Rebecca said as she stifled a chuckle at her daughter's description of the entrails on her clothing. "We managed to get out of Howe's, but that herd separated us. We lost a couple of people, but for now… you should concentrate on resting."

Clementine could tell that her mother seemed upset when she mentioned that the group had lost people. She wanted to ask about it, but given her current state of mind, she figured she should wait. However, she wasn't sure if she could continue resting "I don't know if I can rest anymore." Clementine said. "Can I go outside?"

Rebecca looked unsure. There was a long pause before she said, "Okay…"

Clementine nodded before she got up and left the tent that she and her mother were in. She looked around and noticed that most of the group was missing. She saw Becca, Russell, and Gill playing cards amongst themselves while her father watched her baby sister who was wandering around and exploring, but she seemed to not stray too far. The toddler was smart; she knew better than to wander off because of the walkers.

Clementine went over to Gill, Becca, and Russell. They seemed to share a look that she wasn't expecting. It was as if they were afraid of her.

"Hey guys… Won't mind if I join you?" Clementine said while trying to ignore their stares.

"Um… yeah… sure." Gill said as he scooted over to make room for her to sit.

"Thanks." Clementine said as she sat down. She watched as Russell collected the cards and shuffled them for a new match.

She would have considered the silence rather awkward, but after everything she went through, it almost felt comfortable. It was nice to just have a moment where she didn't have to worry about everything involving Carver.

"You killed Carver." Becca said which broke the silence. Clementine looked over to Becca. "I don't even know if 'kill' is the right word. His blood was all over your hands."

"I know… He… He pushed me too far." Clementine said. "I wonder if this is what Lee was trying to protect me from."

"What's done is done. We don't need to dwell on the past." Russell said.

"WE DON'T NEED TO DWELL ON THE PAST?" Becca exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about? Clementine murdered someone! We don't know shit about this kid!" She made a gesture to Gill before she continued, "And Zeke is dead! In the past, we exiled people for murdering, we didn't trust strangers, and we mourned the people we lost!" There were tears in her eyes. "Now we're doing the exact opposite!" She stomped away from the rest of the group.

Clementine was shocked. She had tears in her eyes as well… Zeke was dead? How? She had a million thoughts running through her head. She almost didn't hear Russell. "I'm sorry about Bec… She took Vince's death really hard and now Zeke..." Russell said.

Clementine looked up and she said, "Is… Is Sarah okay?"

Russell shook his head. "We lost Carlos too. I'm sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this, Clem…" Russell said. He got up and looked toward the direction that Becca stormed off in. "I'd better go help Bec. You know, she always puts up this tough guy act to try and shield herself from the outside world, but deep down, she's scared and sad… Sometimes, like now, she gets overwhelmed. Anyway, I'd better go talk to her." He walked away from the two children and went to Becca who seemed to be crying at one of the benches.

Clementine shook her head. This had to be a bad dream. First Kenny and now Zeke. While Zeke wasn't a part of her first group, he did know two people who were. She remembered talking to him about Christa and Omid during the five day trek to the ski lodge. She would ask him about all the comical arguments that they had before Christa's passing. It brought a small sense of comfort to her. Now that part was gone.

"Um… thanks." Gill said. Clementine looked up with a confused stare. "Thanks for not hurting me. I'm sorry that you got hurt because of that…"

"No problem." Clementine said. "It was a bad situation for both of us."

"Yeah… you got that right. Did… Did you tell your mom and dad about… you know?" Gill said as he gestured to her arms. He was referencing the abuse that she endured from Carver.

Clementine grasped her arms and shook her head. "No… and you can't tell them. Not yet. Too much is happening right now." Clementine said.

"But you were tortured. You need to talk to someone about what happened." Gill said.

"I know but not now." Clementine said.

Gill didn't seem too convinced by her reasoning. Regardless, he grabbed the shuffled deck and started to hand out seven cards to her and himself. "Up for a game of rummy?"

"After yesterday, absolutely." Clementine said. The two proceeded to play several card games. Clementine wanted to get her mind off everything but the stinging pain in her arms and her grumbling stomach made that difficult. In addition, she wondered how Sarah was holding up. She hadn't seen her at all.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke groaned as he opened his eyes. He tried to sit upright but his sore body did not comply. "What happened?" Zeke muttered.

"You passed out from exhaustion." He heard Jane say. He looked over in the direction of the voice to see Jane at a doorway entrance. He looked around and noticed that he was in a room with a bed. It was somewhat roomy.

"Where are we?" Zeke asked.

"We're in a trailer park." Jane said. "This place is crawling with walkers, but I figured it was the best place to take you."

"…You saved me last night. Without you, I'd be walker chow. Thank you." Zeke said.

"You can thank me by getting your strength back, then we're leaving." Jane said. She grabbed a nearby can and handed it to Zeke. "Eat up. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

"Agreed." Zeke said. He began to eat from the can. It almost felt relaxing to just eat in bed. It was a shame that he couldn't watch television while doing so. Once he finished eating the chili, he laid back down to get some more sleep.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine looked up from the card game and saw Luke, Mike, and Matthew walking up to her mother. Gill was also watching them. "It's not good." Luke said. "The area's completely picked clean."

"And Howe's is still surrounded by walkers." Mike said. "There's no way we're going to get in there without getting eaten."

"Damn…" Rebecca muttered. She huffed before she said, "What are we going to do? We have no idea how long it'll take for Howe's to clear out. We got no food, no water, and no change clothes. And on top of all of that, our supplies for Genevieve are running low."

Luke nodded before he said, "We might have to find an alternative place. I don't know if everyone is willing to go back to Howe's. There's a lot of bad memories there."

"Agreed. We need to focus on finding a new place." Matthew said.

Clementine turned back to Gill as the adults talked about the next course of action. "Do you think we should find a new place to live?" Clementine asked.

Gill nodded. "Yeah. My parents and I were going to Wellington." Gill said. "It's a place up north near Michigan. We heard it was safe."

"I heard about it. I think Zeke mentioned it." Clementine said.

Gill frowned and he said, "I'm sorry that he didn't make it. He seemed like a really good guy."

"Yeah…" Clementine said. "He always did his best to keep us safe. He even put himself in danger at times… I just… I can't believe he's gone…" She didn't want to cry so she said, "Let's just… get back to playing…"

"Okay…" Gill said. He had a worried look on his face. Obviously, he was concerned about Clementine. The girl knew that. She also knew that she was on the verge of breaking down. Everything was too much for her.

"Whoa, whoa… hold on." Wyatt said which broke the girl's throughs. She looked up to see Wyatt back away from a group of armed men. Clementine stood up to get a better look at the group while Rebecca, Luke, Mike, and Matthew raced over with their guns aimed at the armed men. Gill also stood up to get a better look. The group of men looked hostile and dangerous.

"Who are you?" One of the men asked. He had a gruff voice.

"We're just a bunch of people trying to survive." Luke said.

"You the leader?" The man asked.

"I don't know. We're not exactly organized yet." Luke said. Clementine noticed Shel and Russell running over with their gun aimed at the group. She saw Sarita, Becca, and Sarah at the entrance of one of the tents. Sarah looked dazed. It was as if she wasn't fully there. Plus, her cheeks were red. She must have been crying most of the day. Clementine still remembered how that felt. She remembered the pain that was brought from losing everyone including her parents and guardian.

The man scoffed. "You folks seem to be well-armed. I'm surprised that Carver asshole lets you get this close to his community."

"You knew Carver?" Luke asked.

"Yeah… he's been a pain in the ass for our boss." The man replied. "Sounds like you know him too." Clementine noticed that there were more men approaching the group. There must have been at least fifteen men now.

"We just escaped from him last night. Killed him and his guards." Wyatt said.

The man smiled. "Good… I think the boss will be pleased to hear that."

"Hold on…. I know him." Another man spoke up. The man looked over to the other man who wore a beanie and had a few piercings. "Hey Wyatt." The man said.

"Eddie?" Wyatt said with a shocked look on his face.

"I figured I'd find you eventually, you tub of lard." Eddie joked.

Wyatt scoffed and he said, "What took you so long?"

"I had to make an adventure out of it." Eddie said.

"Wait a second. This is your friend? The same guy that drove off without you." The man asked.

Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck in an uncomfortable manner. "Yeah… Sorry about that, Eddie. That psycho that was chasing us got the drop on me. I barely escaped with my life."

"Don't worry about it, man. It was a stressful situation." Eddie said. "Besides, things are good now."

"Really?" Wyatt asked with a questioning stare.

"Yup. That psycho who was chasing us is a member of our community." Eddie said.

"What? Are you crazy?" Wyatt said. "That guy tried to kill us!"

"Don't worry, man. The dude's a bit of a nut case, but if he tries to kill anyone, he's going to be forced to leave." Eddie said. "And I'm sure he ain't going to do that to his kid."

"He's got a kid?" Wyatt asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah… she wasn't with him when he was chasing us." Eddie said.

"Excuse me." Rebecca said. "Pardon the interruption, but you mentioned that you come from a community? Could… Could you take us there, please?"

"Hmm… I don't know." The man said. "Can we trust these people, Eddie? They look like they're just going to be a bunch of mouths to feed."

"Come on, man… They have kids with them." Eddie said. "And I'm sure they aren't slouches."

"We'll work hard at your community." Luke said.

"Hmm… very well… They can come, but the final decision is up to the boss." The man said. He grumbled to himself as he turned around and started to walk away.

"Thanks Ryan." Eddie said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" The man muttered.

Eddie turned back to the group and gestured them to follow him. "So, what the hell are you covered in, man?" Eddie asked Wyatt. "It smells worse than a dead skunk."

"You would know." Wyatt said with a chuckle. "Remember that time, TJ and I put that dead skunk on your bed."

Eddie laughed and he said, "Yeah and I'm going to get you back for that, you dick."

"Come on man. We were high. We didn't know what we were doing." Wyatt said.

"That doesn't matter. I had to throw away my bedding thanks you two…" Eddie said.

"We did you a favor, man. You sheets reeked." Wyatt said.

As they continued to reminisce on the past while walking down the road to this supposed community, Clementine couldn't help but giggle a couple of time. Wyatt and Eddie have had plenty of antics together. She was glad that Wyatt found his friend. She just hoped that she could get her friend back to her normal self. Despite the joking comradery of Wyatt and Eddie, Sarah didn't even smile. Clementine wondered if her friend was gone.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: I know… it's another short chapter. I wasn't sure how to else to continue with the story in this chapter. The next chapter is going to pick up after a small time skip.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

"Welcome to Hayfield." Eddie said as the group approached a fenced community. The fence didn't look like it could withstand an attack from the walkers but looks could be deceiving.

"Hayfield?" Wyatt asked.

"Yeah… that's what the boss calls it." Eddie said.

"So, who is this boss if you don't mind me asking?" Luke said.

"His name's Jonah." Ryan said. "And he'll decide if you're staying." He grumbled as he walked up to the front gate.

"What's his problem?" Russell asked.

"Ryan's the enforcer of our little community." Eddie said. "Try not to take it personally. The dude's been through a lot especially when he's second-in-command."

Clementine looked over to Ryan as he talked to one of the guards at the gate. "…f***** Eddie… He found a bunch of strays."

The guard nodded and he talked into his radio. "Hey sir. The team came back with some people… They just escaped from Carver's… Yes sir… But sir, are you sure? We don't want to stretch ourselves too thin… Okay… I understand… Yes sir." He lowered the radio and nodded to Ryan. "Jonah wants to see them."

Ryan sighed and shook his head. He turned to the group of newcomers as the gate opened. "Alright! Listen up!" Ryan shouted to get everyone's attention. "Jonah is willing to see you, but if you do anything stupid, I will kill you and every damn person in this group… including the little rugrat and the kids!" He pointed to Genevieve and then to Clementine and Gill. "Do I make myself clear?"

All the group could really do was nod. "Good. Do not waste Jonah's time. You are to answer his question; no beating around the bush." Ryan said. He went into the community with the group following behind him. Clementine felt nervous. Ryan didn't seem to friendly. He almost reminded her of Troy, but unlike Troy, he seemed to respect this man named Jonah where Troy had nothing but disrespect for everyone. She looked around and noticed that there were some houses still standing in the community. A couple appeared to be too damaged to be of any use.

She also noticed how the people were looking at the group and whispering to each other. In their defense, she and everyone else in the group didn't look too good. After all, they were covered in walker entrails. In comparison, the people within the community appeared to be wearing clean clothes and they seemed rather relaxed. As they made their way through the community, they walked up to a large building. She could see a middle-aged man standing outside of the building with two armed guards next to him.

Ryan approached with the group behind him and immediately got out of the way. Luke was now face-to-face with the man. The man smiled, and in a soft-toned voice, he said, "Welcome to Hayfield." He had his arms stretched out to gesture to the small community. "It is nice to meet you all. My name is Jonah." He had a medium build and wore a brown leather jacket, a black plaid shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of brown boots. He was balding with some hair being tied into a pony tail in the back.

"Hi. My name's Luke." Luke said.

"It's good to meet so many new people. How about we all come inside and get out of the cold." Jonah said. He turned and entered the large building. Luke and the group followed behind him. Jonah's armed guards didn't leave his side.

Once inside, Clementine looked around. It appeared that the large building was once a factory; however, it appeared that it now was a survivor's shelter. While most of the machines were shut down, there were other machines that were in use; some people were running the machines.

"Here we go… This office should be nice and quiet." Jonah said as he approached a small office. "Greg, Jack, can you boys stay out here?" He was talking to his armed guards.

"Yes sir." One of the men replied while the other nodded. He made a gesture for Luke to come in with him. Luke nodded and entered the room with Jonah following behind him. The door closed. It seemed that Jonah was going to interview them one-by-one. Clementine considered it be a smart move. If their stories didn't line up, he could take swift action to ensure that they wouldn't cause any harm.

However, she was a little worried about Gill. He hadn't been in the group for very long. He had no idea what had happened at Howe's for the most part. The only thing he could tell Jonah was how Carver had captured him and tortured him.

And Sarah was not in a good state of mind now. She was traumatized by losing her dad and her boyfriend.

Clementine looked back to the door. She felt almost anxious. She wasn't sure why. This man was nothing like Carver. She shouldn't have to worry about what would happen. They were finally in a safe community.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke sat upright in the bed. He huffed as he got up from the bed. "Good… here." Jane said as she tossed him some new clothes. I found some clothes that could fit you. "Get them on and then we need to go." Jane said. He noticed that she was wearing a different set of clothes. The skinny jeans that she wore were replaced with a darker pair and she wore a new red jacket.

"Thanks." Zeke said.

"Hurry." Jane said.

Zeke removed his old clothes and put the new clothes on. He wore a new pair of jeans that were a darker blue compared to his old jeans, a grey shirt, and a brown hooded sweatshirt to go on top of it. "That'll do. Come on." Jane said. "We need to get out of here."

"Okay. Can you tell me what's going on?" Zeke asked.

"Listen." Jane said. Zeke did exactly that. He didn't hear anything at first and only shrugged, but then he heard it.

"Why are we doing this, man?" A man's voice was heard.

"We got to be thorough." Another voice was heard.

"People." Jane whispered. She shook her head.

"What do we do?" Zeke whispered. "Can we take them out?"

"I'd rather not try. There's only three of them, but they're armed." Jane said. "Look around for a way to escape."

"Okay." Zeke said. He looked around for anything that he could use to escape the trailer without being seen by the scavengers. He looked out to see that it was still daylight outside much to his surprise. It seemed like it was late in the day. He ducked down before any of the scavengers could see him.

Upon finding nothing of use, he went back to Jane. "Is there any way out of here besides the front door?" Zeke asked.

"The window…" Jane said. That wasn't much better. He did notice that the trailer they were in was close to the gate. Zeke looked around the room for anything of use until he noticed that there was a skylight. "What if we got up on the roof through that skylight?"

"Hmm… that could work…" Jane said. "But it's risky… if they see us, we're toast."

"Hmm… You got a point." Zeke said. "Do we have anything to fight with?"

"Just my knife…" Jane said. "There wasn't much here."

"Okay…" Zeke said. He pondered on whether to attack the three men outside or try to escape through the roof. It wasn't going to be an easy decision. He shook his head and he said, "We'll go through the skylight. We should be able to jump onto the other side of the fence, right?"

"Yeah. I can agree to that plan as long as we make it out of here alive." Jane said.

"Alright. So, we need to find something that'll get us to the skylight." Zeke said.

"What about that shelf in the other room?" Jane said. "It looked like it was the right height."

"Awesome. We'll use that." Zeke said. It seemed like things were going to work out for the two after all, but Zeke was surprised when he heard the doorknob twist.

He looked over in time to hear someone say, "What the hell? I think this thing is stuck or locked."

"If it's locked, that means someone is in there." Another man's voice was heard.

"Shit… Grab that shelf." Jane whispered as she went over to the shelf. Zeke got to the shelf as well and they started to move it over.

They heard the doorknob twist some more before they heard loud bangs from the door. They were trying to bust the door down. "We know someone's in there! Let us in now, or we're going to kill you!" A man snapped. Zeke could see the door starting to break.

They ignored the man's shouts and managed to haul the shelf into the room. Jane slammed the door shut in time for the front door to break. Zeke caught a glimpse of three men. He knew that they were running out of time. Jane locked the door as Zeke pushed the shelf underneath the skylight.

"Come on." Jane said. She got up on the dresser and lifted Zeke to the roof of the trailer home. Zeke turned back and offered his hand to help Jane. She accepted his hand and he proceeded to help her out of the trailer.

"Jump!" Jane exclaimed once she was on the roof of the trailer. She walked back before running and leaping over the fence.

Zeke also walked back a bit before running and leaping over the fence. He almost didn't make the jump. He landed on the other side of the fence and got up. He then followed Jane through the woods. He could hear the gunfire from the trailer park. It was probably those three men. He knew that they wouldn't be able to make the jump since he barely made it himself and he was lighter than them. Plus, they would have to deal with the walkers before they could catch up to Zeke and Jane.

* * *

After running for a while, the two stopped to catch their breaths. "Well… Thanks again for helping me back at Howe's." Zeke said. "Is that the third time you saved my life?"

Jane nodded and she said, "You put yourself in danger too much."

"Not like I could help it." Zeke said. "Now… I need to figure out where the group went." He started to look around for something he could use to track down the group. He knew that would be almost impossible. He probably would have to go back to Howe's first and track them down from there.

"Why?" Jane asked. Zeke stopped and looked up to Jane. He was surprised when he heard her ask that question.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Zeke asked.

"Why would you risk your life again to find those people?" Jane asked. "They're all going to die especially when you're not there willing to sacrifice yourself for them."

"Hold on. These are good people." Zeke said. "They might not always think things through and are a bit too trusting, but I think that's helped me."

"They lack survival instincts. That's something you and I have." Jane said as she started to walk through the forest. Zeke followed behind her. "I know they're good people, but good people don't survive very long. If you ask me, they're living on borrowed time."

"Regardless of whether that is true, I'm not giving up on them. I'm going to find them." Zeke said.

Jane stopped and looked to him. "I don't understand. What did they ever do for you to make you so loyal to them? Why are you risking your life for them?" Jane asked.

"What else is there for me to do? I tried surviving on my own. It didn't really work out for me." Zeke said. "I was miserable every day. It wasn't until I found people who would talk to me and help me that I actually felt alright again. Plus, I'm dating that girl in the glasses."

"Love is a commodity that you can't afford now." Jane said. "She's only going to slow you down. She's not strong enough. She can't accept this new world." Zeke couldn't help but agree that Sarah couldn't accept the new world. Sarah had gotten stronger, but she was still too morally idealistic. She trusted people far too much. There was a pause before Jane sighed. "It hasn't worked out for me either. That's why I'm asking if you want to stay with me."

"Really?" Zeke asked. He wasn't too sure about joining Jane, but he figured that he owed her for saving his life three times.

"Yeah… So… what do you say?" Jane asked.

Zeke pondered on what the best course of action was. He knew that he owed Jane, but he didn't want to abandon the group that he cared for. "Alright." Zeke said. "I'll stick with you." He wondered if there was more to Jane. Maybe she was like him. Maybe she was grieving over someone who she cared about and needed help figuring out what to do and who to talk to.

A small smile formed on her face and she said, "I didn't think you would say yes."

Zeke nodded and he said, "So… what do we do now?"

"We find some supplies and wait for that herd at Howe's to move on. I didn't like that place much, but it does have everything we need." Jane said as they proceeded to walk through the forest.

"Sounds like a plan." Zeke said. Zeke looked to the young woman before he said, "You ever thought about leading your own group? I think you would be really good at that."

Jane shook her head and she said, "I was in a lot of groups before I decided that it was better to just be alone. None of them worked out. If the walkers and psychos didn't get them, they would usually kill themselves."

"That's understandable…" Zeke mumbled.

"How about you?" Jane asked.

Zeke thought about telling Jane about his past. It didn't hurt as much to think about Decker, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about him again. Zeke huffed and he said, "When the world ended, it was me, my little brother, and my abusive dad. At some point, that monster that I call my dad attacked Decker… my little brother. I had no choice. He was going to kill him… so I aimed my bow at him and released the arrow… I killed him… After that, Decker and I were on our own. We did well… until this scum of the Earth held us at gunpoint. I could tell that he had lost his mind a long time ago. He kept asking who wanted to die first… I tried to get over to Decker to shield him. If there was going to be one of us who would make it, it was going to be Decker… In the end, it didn't matter… He shot Decker. I… I tried to save him, but it was a fatal wound… That psycho that shot him laughed and said that he would spare me for 'putting on show'. Then he left. All I could do was comfort Decker in his last few moments while cradling him in my arms." Zeke tried his best to fight back the tears. "I put him down when he turned… and buried him…. I then went after the psycho that killed him. I put him through hell, before I finally started torturing him and then I killed him." He looked up to Jane to see the shocked look on her face.

"Holy f****** shit..." Jane muttered.

"Yeah… after a few weeks on my own, I found Christa and Omid. They helped me in more ways than one." Zeke said.

"I know how you feel… I lost my sister, Jaime, but nothing like that." Jane said. "Jaime… just gave up."

"You're not saying…" Zeke said.

"Not like that. I dragged my sister across four states. Every morning, she would say that she wasn't getting up, so I would convince her, push her, hell even carry her if I had to. Until this one time…" Jane said. "Walkers cornered us and forced us to the top of the roof. And then when they kept coming… I…I couldn't make her jump. Couldn't throw her. So, I tried something else. I told her that she could have what she wanted. And I left her there."

"Damn…" Zeke muttered. "I'm sorry you had to do that."

Jane nodded. "It killed me for a long time. But I finally realized that I had put her on a forced march through hell, but all she really wanted me to do was let her go." Jane said. "You and I are the same… We're older siblings who lost the one we cared about the most."

Zeke nodded his head and pondered on her words. She was right. They were the same. He remembered how Carver was always saying that he and Clementine were the same; when in all reality, they couldn't be any more different. However, Zeke couldn't help but see how similar he was to Jane. As they walked through the forest, Zeke wondered what it would be like if Decker and Jaime had made it. Even though Zeke had never met Jaime, he figured that her relationship with Jane was like his relationship with Decker. They weren't just siblings, they were best friends.

… **To be continued.**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: A big thanks to Termin8r for helping me with this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

 **Sarah's POV**

Sarah felt like she couldn't talk. All she wanted to do was crawl up in a bed and cry herself to sleep… which was what she had been doing except without a bed for most of the day. She wanted things to go back to normal. Even though her dad was a bit excessive, he still loved her, and she loved him. He was always there for her especially when she lost her mom. And Zeke… she didn't think he would like her, but to her surprise, he had become the boyfriend she had always wanted. He made her laugh, feel comfortable, and helped her grow as a person… Now, he was gone… and worst of all, she thought it was all her fault.

"I've talked to a couple of people in your group. They told me that you've had a really rough day…" Jonah said as he sat across from her. She didn't respond. She kept looking down at her shoes.

"…You know… I had people I cared about… I had a family… But one-by-one, they died. I could have just given up and accepted the fact that my son and I were going to be next, but no… I've never given up and I will never give up. I think you're at that point. Life has given you shit. Now, it's time to decide. Are you going to give up and spend the rest of your days thinking about the past or are you going to step up?"

Sarah looked up to him. He had a stern look on his face. "Your group says that you're strong, but right now, I don't see it. I see a scared, wimpy girl who wants to give up and die. Prove me wrong." His voice was also very stern.

Sarah still didn't respond. Jonah sighed and he said, "That usually gets people riled up. Do you want me to get someone from your group?" Sarah gave a small nod. "Alright. Who?" A couple minutes passed by without a response before Jonah got up and went to the door. "Rebecca, could you come in here, please?" Jonah said.

"Of course. Won't mind if I bring Genevieve?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't mind." Jonah said.

Rebecca entered the room and took a seat next to Sarah. She had Genevieve on her lap. Jonah sat in his chair across from the two. "Hey Sarah." Rebecca said as she reached out to place a comforting hand on the teenager's shoulder. Sarah looked up and jumped back from the hand. "Okay… It's okay." Rebecca said as she lowered her hand.

"I miss when they're that little." Jonah said as he watched Genevieve. "So curious about the world and they don't have the ability to curse at you yet."

Rebecca chuckled and she said, "Yeah… I guess so."

"Anyway, I wasn't getting any responses from her." Jonah said as he made a gesture to Sarah.

"I wish you would have let me come in here with her to begin with." Rebecca said.

"My apologies. I have to take extra precautions these days. I had to make sure your stories lined up. So far, they do." Jonah said. "So, I have a few questions about Sarah that you may be able to answer." Jonah said.

"I'll do my best." Rebecca said.

"Excellent… What happened at Carver's?" Jonah said.

"We were there as prisoners. I think my daughter, Clementine, got the worst of it. She was forced to be away from me, Alvin, and Genevieve, and she saw two of her friends die. One was a gruesome murder. Carver beheaded this man named Vince… He was such a good man… As for her other friend, Kenny, he was one of the people that she knew when civilization fell. The rest of us were forced to do labor." Rebecca said.

"I see… Now, can you tell me how Sarah ended up with Carver and his people to begin with? Some of your people said that they lived with Carver before wanting to leave." Jonah said.

"Carlos, her father, told me what happened. When it all started, it was just Sarah, her mom, and Carlos, himself. At the very beginning, her mom got bit. Carlos was a doctor, so he tried to nurse her back to health, but… she didn't make it. Sarah became depressed after that. She didn't talk for weeks. It wasn't until they found Howe's and I started to talk to her that she started to get better. It took a while, but Sarah did recover enough to where she could talk. She would even smile sometimes."

"I see… but you never get over that kind of grief." Jonah said.

"I know that. I was just glad that she was willing to talk to people again." Rebecca said.

"I see…" Jonah said. "How was her relationship with Clementine?"

"It was very good. They were inseparable." Rebecca said. "I think they were able to help each other through grief."

And how about now? Has things changed?" Jonah asked.

Rebecca nodded and she said, "A little bit. Clementine is very mature for her age. She knows that Sarah just needs space right now. She'll talk to us when she's ready."

"So, she lost her father?" Jonah asked. "Could give me more details?"

"She also lost her boyfriend, Zeke. We don't-" Rebecca said but she was interrupted by Sarah.

"I didn't lose them." Rebecca turned back to Sarah with a shocked look. "They're just missing… They'll be here soon." Sarah said. She was still looking down at her feet.

"S-Sarah… honey… they're gone. You said they were gone." Rebecca said.

Sarah shook her head and she said, "Stop lying to me…" She got up and she said, "I'm going to go wait for them." She then proceeded to leave the room.

"Sarah." Rebecca said as she got up. The teenager didn't listen to her and left the room.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine watched Sarah leave the small office. She didn't even bother looking at her. Clementine was about to call to her but was stopped when she heard her adoptive mother talking to Jonah. "I'm sorry… She doesn't normally do that." She looked over to see Jonah and Rebecca at the doorway with Genevieve in Rebecca's arms. It seemed like the toddler was getting restless and starting to squirm.

"I understand. It's just part of grieving." Jonah said. "It's happened to me more than once. Anyway, thank you for answering my questions, Rebecca. I believe your daughter is the last person I need to interview."

Rebecca nodded and she said, "Okay. Clem's been through a lot. Please be easy on her."

"I will." Jonah said. He turned to the child and made a gesture for her to come inside. Clementine obliged and made her way into his office. She went over and sat down at one of the chairs while Jonah sat in the chair across from her. "I heard you had a long week."

"You can say that again." Clementine said.

"So… your friend, Luke, told me that you killed Carver." Jonah said.

Clementine looked up to the man before nodding her head. She felt ashamed of herself for doing something so awful. Carver did deserve it, but she felt sick about doing it. "He killed someone very important to me." Clementine said. "He was… He was a person that was with me from the beginning."

Jonah nodded and he said, "Rebecca told me about that. Those people are so rare nowadays. Though, I feel like 'kill' is an understatement. You slaughtered him. You even lashed out at your friend who tried to stop you."

Clementine hung her head. "I didn't mean to…"

"I understand… but it makes me feel very nervous to have you in our community. Carver did deserve that. He killed quite a few of my people, but what you did… that can't ever happen again." Jonah said.

"I didn't mean to go that far." Clementine said as she looked back up to Jonah "Between being tortured and losing my friend, I just… lost it."

"Tortured? Now there's something I haven't heard yet." Jonah said with a shocked look on his face.

Clementine gasped when she realized what she said. She never wanted it to get out that she was tortured by Carver. "What did Carver do to torture you?" Jonah asked.

Clementine looked up to the man before removing her jacket. She winced from the pain in her arms. She then carefully moved the dress's sleeve up to reveal her scarred arm. "Hmm… I see…" Jonah said.

"Was Gill also put through this torture?" Jonah asked.

"No." Clementine said as she pulled the sleeve back down. "Carver wanted me to torture him to get information. I refused, and he used a knife to hurt me…"

"I see… So… does anyone besides you and Gill know about this?" Jonah asked.

"No." Clementine said. "I was going to tell my mom and dad when we were safe."

Jonah nodded his head and he said, "So, Clementine, can you tell me why Carver was so interested in you?"

"I think he wanted a family and he was willing to cross any line to get it. He wanted me to be his daughter… his heir." Clementine said.

"And thus, he drove himself mad with the idea of you taking over… That helps me to understand him a little more." Jonah said. "Thank you, Clementine. Now, one other question remains. What happened before you were found by Carver and his people? What was your relationship with this friend? What was his name? Kenny?"

Clementine nodded. She huffed and she said, "When the dead started to walk, a man named Lee found me. He took care of me… We met up with other survivors and tried to make it, but… it didn't work. They either died or went missing. The friend I lost last night was Lee's friend. He had a family… at some point… Regardless of what happened, Kenny was always there for Lee even when they didn't agree with one another."

"I see… so why didn't it work? Was it people or the dead?" Jonah asked.

"People… It's always people." Clementine said.

"That's what I thought…" Jonah said. "You know… I had a friend once… We knew each other since childhood. He and I were inseparable. He was like a brother to me… until… he tried to kill me. He started up a bloodthirsty coup… If there is anything I have learned in this world, it's that people are always working at an angle. I just hope that you and your people are nothing like him."

"What about you and your people? Are you working at an angle too?" Clementine asked.

Jonah chuckled and he said, "Smart girl. In a way, yes, I am working at an angle. I'm trying to expand this community. We are trying to rebuild society and we need as much help as possible to achieve that goal."

Clementine nodded. "That would be nice." Clementine said.

"Indeed… Okay… So that answers all my questions. Henry is going to blow a gasket at me when I bring him all this information…" Jonah said.

"Who's Henry?" Clementine asked.

"Henry oversees the recording of what we do on a day-to-day basis. Most of the time, it is the same thing, but on days like today, he'll have to record you and your people." Jonah said.

"That's cool." Clementine said. "So, why would you say that he's going to blow a gasket?"

"Simple. I just made his job harder on him today." Jonah said. He got up and went over to the door. "It seems he and I are going to be busy. I'll have to tell him about everything that happened to you and your group." They made their way through the factory with Jonah's guards following behind them. "In the meantime, you and your group can get settled in." They approached a woman who wore a light blue hooded sweatshirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black boots. She had blonde hair with a few piercings in her ears. "I'll leave you in the capable hands of Julie. She'll get you to your new home and hopefully some new clothes. No offense."

"None taken. It was the only way to get through a herd of walkers." Clementine said.

"Walkers. That one is new." Jonah said. "I think I like that a lot better than chompers. What do you think Julie?" He turned to the woman.

"Anything is better than chomper. Leave it to us to come up with the worst nickname for those things outside." Julie said.

"Sheesh… now that's what I call brutal honesty." Jonah said.

"You asked for it." Julie said.

"Indeed, I did." Jonah said. "Alright sass-master, can you get Clementine to the rest of her group?"

"Sure. Come on kid." Julie said. She and Clementine walked away from Jonah who was going off in a different direction. Clementine continued to follow Julie as she looked back to Jonah occasionally. He seemed like a good guy, but she wasn't sure if she could trust him completely. After all, Carver started out as a nice man too.

* * *

"Alright. We're here." Julie said as she approached two houses with Clementine walking next to her. "There was just enough of you to split you up into the two different houses."

"Which one am I staying in?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know. Whoever you feel comfortable with." Julie said. "Some of our group members brought over some clothes for you and your people. Might as well get rid of what you are wearing. There's no way we can wash that out."

Clementine nodded in agreement and she said, "Thanks."

"No prob. Someone will come get you for dinner. Until then, hang out. We might have some chores for you in the morning." Julie said. She walked away from the girl.

As she walked away, Gill came out of one of the houses. He waved at her. Clementine smiled before she walked over to him. He was wearing some new clothes. He was now wearing a dark green hooded sweatshirt with a white shirt underneath, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of brown boots.

"Hey Clem." Gill said.

"Hey Gil. You seem refreshed." Clementine said.

"I am. It feels nice to be in some fresh clothes that aren't covered in walker guts." Gill said.

"Yeah… Is my dad inside?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah… He's in inside with Luke and Genevieve. Rebecca is talking to Sarah. She's trying to get her to come back here." Gill said.

Clementine nodded. She was concerned for her friend's well-being. She wished she could do something for her. It was painful for her to see her best friend become distant. Her thoughts were broken up when Gil said, "I'm sure Rebecca can help her. She reminds me of my adoptive mom. She would comfort me in those first few weeks after I lost my parents."

"You had adoptive parents?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah… We got separated, and about a day after, Carver's people found me." Gil said. "…I just hope they're still alive. They've been looking after me since day one."

"What happened to your biological parents if you don't mind me asking?" Clementine asked.

Gil huffed and he said, "They went out to find food and never came back… There was more of us then. Randy and Patricia, the people who would later adopt me, were good friends with my mom and dad."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Clementine said.

"It's okay… They helped me through it… I just hope they're okay." Gill said.

"Gill?" The two children heard. The boy perked up when he heard the voice. The two children looked over to see a man and woman. The man had red hair and a beard. He wore a grey sweatshirt, a pair of cargo pants, and a pair of boots. The woman wore an orange coat with a black thermal shirt underneath, a pair of jeans, and pair of boots.

"Mom… Dad…" Gill said with a smile on his face. He ran over and hugged the two adults. Gill's adoptive mother cried tears of joy as she hugged the boy and kissed his forehead repeatedly while Gill's adoptive father hugged them both. Clementine smiled as she watched the happy reunion; she wiped away a couple of tears from her eyes. At least, something good came out of this day.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: I know… No Zeke in this chapter. I got a lot of ground to cover in the Hayfield community.**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: College is back to being a pain…**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights are reserved to their respective owner.**

"We're so happy you're alive." Gill's adoptive mother said.

Gill nodded and he said, "I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for my friends. That girl is one of them. Her name is Clementine." The two adults looked over to Clementine and approached her with Gill by their side.

"Words can't express how thankful I am to see that Gill is okay. Thank you." The man said. "I'm Randy and this is my wife, Patricia."

"It's nice to meet you." Clementine said.

"Nice to meet you too." Patricia said. "Are you new to the community?"

Clementine nodded and she said, "Yeah. We have a big group. Jonah and his people decided to split us up into two different houses."

Patricia nodded and she said, "It was very kind of him and his people to give us a place to stay. We were hoping to get to Wellington, but I think this is an excellent alternative."

Clementine frowned upon hearing the safe zone that Zeke, Omid, and Kenny were travelling toward. "What's wrong?" Patricia asked.

Clementine sighed and she said, "We lost some people recently… Two of them were hoping to go to Wellington. They thought it was a safe zone."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Patricia said with a frown.

It became silent as she thought about Kenny and Zeke. The loss of Zeke also affected Gill but to a lesser extent since he didn't get to know Zeke. "They didn't die in vain…" Randy said which broke the silence. Clementine looked up and he continued, "Your friends didn't die for nothing. You and your group are safe. And that's also true for us. We had a group at some point… As time progressed, we lost more and more people until it was just us. We'll always remember what they did for us."

Clementine nodded and she said, "We're still going through the grieving process."

"We all are… To this day, I still can't stop thinking about all of the friends and family I have lost." Patricia said. "It might take a while, but… time heals all wounds…"

"I guess…" Clementine said. She knew that Patricia was lying. She was trying to cheer her up. Clementine knew from personal experience that the passage of time only took the edge off. After all, she was still sad that her biological parents, Lee, and everyone she knew for the last ten years was gone and would never come back.

There was a long silence until Clementine said, "I'd better go change into something else…"

"That sounds like a good idea, sweetie. Do you need any help? Do you have a mommy to help you get cleaned up?" Patricia asked.

"I-" Clementine said but she was interrupted.

"It's okay. I got it." Clementine turned around to see her adoptive mother walking with Sarah. The girl didn't seem all there. She walked into the house while Rebecca walked up to Randy and Patricia.

"I didn't mean to come off as brash." Patricia said.

"I understand. It's just that mama bear takes over at times." Rebecca said. "Same thing happens to me."

"I'm Patricia and this is my husband, Randy. We're Gill's adoptive parents." Patricia said.

Rebecca smiled and she said, "I'm Rebecca. You should be proud of Gill. He's been a trooper through all of this."

"Thanks. I think your little girl's the same way." Patricia said as Randy ruffled the boy's hair.

"Thanks." Rebecca said. "I'd like to chat some more, but I really should get Clementine out of these clothes."

"We understand. Perhaps we can come back over in a little bit. It'll give the kids a chance to play and for us to talk some more." Randy said.

"I think that's a great idea. They could have a little play date." Rebecca said. She turned to the two children and she said, "Now… I don't want to see you two kissing, understand?" She said this in a teasing tone of voice.

"Ew…" Clementine said.

"That's gross." Gill said.

The three adults laughed at their responses. "I guess that's a yes." Randy said.

"Seems that way." Patricia said. "Well… It was nice to meet you both. We'll head back home for a couple of hours, so you can get settled in."

"Okay. It was nice to meet you, too." Rebecca said.

"Bye Clem." Gill said.

"Bye Gill." Clementine said.

After saying goodbye, the family of three walked away. "Come on, sweetie. We need to get you cleaned up." Rebecca said as she took Clementine's hand. Clementine obliged and followed her adoptive mother inside the house.

The house was nice. It was a little dirty, but there didn't seem to be many holes or any corrosion among the walls. The furniture also looked nice. She saw her father looking after Genevieve. Both were wearing new clothes and were clean of walker entrails. Alvin wore a black thermal shirt with a yellow coat, blue jeans, and brown shoes. Genevieve wore a slightly dirty white hooded sweatshirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of white shoes.

The toddler looked up and smiled at Rebecca. "Mama…" Genevieve said. She got up and went toward Rebecca.

"Hey baby girl." Rebecca said. She went over to the toddler who held her arms up. "I can't hold you right now. Mama is yucky." Rebecca said. She must have been referencing to the fact that she was still covered in muck. Genevieve pouted in response. "Can you stay with dada until I can get cleaned up."

Genevieve looked up before she went back to playing with some toy blocks.

"I saw Sarah come in. She still looks out of it." Alvin said.

"Yeah… poor girl… It's going to be hard on her for a while. I played along with her and told her that she might as well get cleaned up when Zeke comes." Rebecca said.

"That might not be a good idea." Alvin said.

"I know… but it was the only way to get her to change out of her clothes. She's going to get sick if she stays in those clothes." Rebecca said.

Alvin nodded in response and he said, "Is that next on the to-do list for you and Clementine?"

"Yup. You okay watching Gen in the meantime?" Rebecca asked.

"You bet." Alvin said.

"Okay." Rebecca said. She and Clementine walked upstairs. Clementine saw Matthew and Luke talking to each other at the other end of the hall. Matthew seemed a bit more relaxed than what he was back at Howe's. Still, he wasn't his goofy, fun-loving self that Clementine remembered back at the ski lodge. The combination of losing Walter and Kenny must have affected him. Luke wasn't all there either. He seemed relieved that Carver was gone, but she could tell that he wasn't too happy either. Luke wore a grey hooded sweatshirt with a black leather jacket over top of it, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of grey shoes. Matthew wore a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, a pair of black jeans, and a pair of grey shoes. Rebecca went up to the two men and she said, "Hey you two. Do you know where the clothes are?"

"Yeah… they're in this room." Luke said as he pointed to the room on the right.

"Okay. Thank you." Rebecca said.

"Just so you know… I saw Sarah come in a few minutes ago. She mentioned that she was going to get cleaned up for Zeke. She got some clothes and headed for the bathroom" Luke said. He pointed to the door that was at the other end of the hallway.

"I know… It was the only way I could think of to get her to come in here and get out of those dirty clothes." Rebecca said.

"I understand. I just… figured I should tell you." Luke said.

"Thanks… We'll need to keep an eye on her for a while." Rebecca said.

"You got it." Luke said. Matthew nodded in confirmation.

Rebecca led Clementine into the room. "Well now… We better find you something warm to wear." Rebecca said as she started to look through some of the clothes.

"Can… Can I wear another dress… or maybe a skirt?" Clementine asked.

Rebecca chuckled and she said, "We'll try to find something, but you have to wear leggings this time. Tights are too thin right now, and it's only going to get colder."

"Okay." Clementine said. She looked through some of the clothing as well.

* * *

Soon enough, she and her mother were able to find a good outfit for her which included a pink hooded sweatshirt, a yellow long sleeve shirt, a dark blue skirt, pink leggings, and grey boots.

Still, they had to wait for Sarah to finish getting cleaned up in the bathroom. "I should apologize to Luke… I didn't mean to hurt him…" Clementine said.

Rebecca frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "He knows you didn't mean to. This is a really rough time on everyone… I can't imagine what that monster put you through…" She was referring to Carver.

Clementine nodded. She knew she had to tell her mother what happened. This was probably the best time to tell her now that they were alone. She took off her denim jacket and left it on the floor. "I… have to show you something."

Rebecca seemed concerned. "Did he hurt you?" She asked.

Clementine nodded and she started to pull the sleeve of her dress up to reveal her scarred arm. Rebecca gasped and she said, "My poor baby." She hugged Clementine who started to whimper. "It's okay… Let it all out…" Rebecca said as she rubbed circles on the girl's back. That's what Clementine did. She cried. It seemed to go on forever. Part of her was sick of crying so much, but what else could she do. They stayed that way for a long time. Her eyes became puffy and her cheeks became red. Eventually, Clementine couldn't cry anymore. She just huffed as her adoptive mother continued to comfort her. It was a relief to be comforted rather than holding back all her tears.

Several minutes passed in rather comfortable silence. For once, Clementine didn't feel any anxiety. She didn't have to worry about Carver coming in and attacking them anymore. She perked up when she heard the bathroom door open. She could hear a pair of footsteps head down stairs. Rebecca separated from the hug and went to check the hallway. She returned to Clementine and she said, "Sarah's done. Do you need help?"

Clementine shook her head and she said, "I can do it."

"Okay… Just yell for me if you need help." Rebecca said. She sounded unconvinced by what her daughter had said.

"Okay." Clementine said. She took the clothing from the bed and went toward the bathroom. She went inside and got ready for a bath.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke and Jane were around a camp fire as evening turned into night. Zeke managed to kill a weasel with a compound bow and arrow that he and Jane managed to find earlier. He could only find a couple of arrows. He figured that it was better than nothing. It felt a bit awkward compared to his bow and arrows since it wasn't the same model. Still, it was nice to have a fresh meal.

"That's smart… Using a bow and arrow. They aren't as loud as a firearm." Jane said.

"That's the main reason why I use it." Zeke said.

Jane nodded and she said, "I'm still not sure why you came with me… even though I'm glad you did."

Zeke huffed and he said, "Because… I think I can help you."

"Help me with what?" Jane asked.

"Moving on." Zeke said. "I understand that Jaime's death still haunts you. Truth be told, Decker's death still haunts me. I think where we differ is that… I found some good people immediately after I lost Decker… but you didn't."

Jane frowned and she said, "It's not that simple. You can't just automatically cure me."

"I know… I just want to plant the seed… At the end of the day, it's up to you to decide whether you want to move on. It doesn't mean you have to forget about Jaime. It just means that you're not killing yourself with guilt." Zeke said.

Jane seemed like she wanted to argue; however, she was at a loss of words. She sighed and she said, "How did you move on?"

"Like I said, I had good people. I read the Bible again and rededicated my life to God… And I got the chance to be a big brother again… at least for a little while." Zeke said.

"What happened?" Jane asked.

"Well… Christa died from childbirth… I think Omid died in an ambush. As for their daughter, Genevieve, she was adopted by Alvin and Rebecca. I figured that she'd be happier with them as her parents." Zeke said.

Jane nodded. "I see…" Jane said.

"Besides, I was a bit too preoccupied to continue looking after Gen." Zeke said.

"That girl… Sarah." Jane said.

"Yup… I want to reunite with her as soon as possible." Zeke said. "She's probably worried sick about me."

"She might think you're dead." Jane said.

Zeke looked to Jane with a perplexed stare until he remembered the last time he saw Sarah… He was pinned down by a walker with several other walkers getting closer. He never thought about it. Perhaps Jane made a good point. Before he could continue to think about his girlfriend, Jane spoke up.

"I don't know what to tell you, kid." Jane said. "I'm not going to change my mind about what I've been doing any time soon." She laid back and looked up into the stars.

"Why do you keep dwelling on the past?" Zeke asked.

"Because there is no future. The past is all we have now." Jane said.

Zeke shook his head. There was a time where he might have agreed with her. He laid down and thought about his life before the walkers. He wondered what it would have been like if his uncle had gotten him and Decker away from his father. He figured he would go out of his way to get in trouble and be snarky with anyone who called him out on it, while Decker would struggle to hold back his laughter and try to be the voice of reason for his ridiculous older brother. He just wished he could hear his little brother's laugh one more time. He wiped away a couple of the tears. He then realized that he was doing the exact same thing that he scolded Jane on. He was reliving his past.

"So what's it like having a little brother?" Jane asked. "All I had was my little sister."

"It was fun. Decker was a good kid… but he was still a kid. There would be times that I would want to pull my hair out. He would always call me out anytime I swore. He would try to beat me up when I would act really snarky with him or when I pulled a prank on him…" Zeke said.

"What was the worst thing he ever did?" Jane asked.

Zeke scoffed and he said, "He got a girlfriend before I did."

"Huh?" Jane asked.

"Puppy love." Zeke said. "They claimed that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. It still didn't help my ego much. Alright… your turn. What was it like having a younger sister?" He was somewhat curious on her perspective. He already had some experience of looking after a girl; however, a toddler wasn't the same as a child.

Jane scoffed and she said, "Interesting. You know, being a big sister is… well, it's funny. It's really easy to be mean. I hid her toys, made fun of her bad haircut, give her a bad haircut on purpose." He could see the small smile form on her lips.

"Wow… and I thought I was bad." Zeke said.

Jane chuckled and she said, "What can I say? She saw me as her best friend. I couldn't let that go unpunished." There was a long pause before Jane said, "Every summer, we would go to this amusement park in Virginia. But the best part wasn't the rides… it was that nobody knew us there, and I'd… I'd pretend that we weren't sisters… just friends."

Zeke smiled and he said, "Decker and I would go hunting almost every year. It felt good to get away from our rundown shack of a home. But… the best part wasn't tracking that big buck and lining up for a shot. It was actually the fact that we could start acting like brothers. We were too young to go out in the woods by ourselves, so an adult would come with us. I wasn't Decker's caregiver when we went hunting… I was just his brother…"

"Different scenarios…" Jane said.

"Yeah…" Zeke muttered.

… **To be continued.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights reserved to their respective owners.**

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine looked at herself in the mirror. It was nice to be in some new clothes and have the chance to bath even though the water was cold. She longed for the days of being back at the cabin. Pete had managed to set the group up with warm water. It saddened her to think of all the good people she had lost since then. First Connie, then Pete… Nick… Vince… even Carlos… She left the bathroom and noticed her mother standing outside the door. "You look very pretty, sweetie." Rebecca said.

"Thanks mommy." Clementine responded. "I'm guessing you're going for a bath next."

"Yeah… be good and make sure to help daddy with your baby sister." Rebecca said.

"Okay. I will." Clementine said.

"That's my girl." Rebecca said before she entered the bathroom.

Clementine went downstairs and saw her baby sister; it appeared she was wandering toward the door. "Where are you going?" Clementine asked as she approached the toddler. She picked up Genevieve before she reached the door.

Clementine looked back to her adoptive father and saw him sleeping on the ground. It appeared that he fell asleep while looking after Genevieve. It made sense considering he had been looking after the toddler for most of the day.

Clementine looked to Genevieve and she said, "So where were you going? You should always stay close to mommy and daddy."

Genevieve pointed to the door. "Outside?" Clementine asked.

The toddler nodded. "Why do you want to go outside?" Clementine asked.

"Not safe." Genevieve said. Clementine was confused by this. Why would the toddler think that she wasn't safe in a walled community? She then realized that she probably had only been in one walled community which was Carver's. She was used to a life on the run.

"It's okay, Genevieve. This isn't a bad place." Clementine said. "There's no mean man here. Just friends."

The toddler didn't seem convinced. She kept eying the door.

Clementine figured that she would relax eventually. "Let's play blocks. You like to play with blocks, don't you?"

Genevieve smiled and nodded. "Alright." Clementine said. She took her baby sister over to the toy blocks and played with her for a little while. However, no matter how much she played with her, Genevieve would keep looking at the door. Clementine wasn't sure why she kept doing this.

"She doesn't feel safe, huh?" Clementine heard her friend say. She looked over to Sarah who was watching Genevieve. Typically, she would smile at Genevieve but not now. It looked like she wasn't in a daze anymore. She wore a purple hooded sweatshirt with a green shirt underneath, a denim skirt, black tights, and the black boots she almost always wore.

"Sarah, are you okay?" Clementine asked. She got up and approached her friend.

Sarah shook her head and she said, "Genevieve will never feel safe ever again. I… I took him away from her." Tears started to form in her eyes and her voice started to crack.

"No Sarah. Don't. You're blaming yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault." Clementine said.

"You're wrong, Clem… It's always my fault." Sarah said. "First my mom, then my dad, and now Zeke. They all died because of me… because I'm useless…"

"Don't say that." Clementine said. "Sarah, I've been where you're at. It's the worst feeling in the world, but the last thing you should ever do is to blame yourself… I should know… I blamed myself for everyone who died for a long time… It just doesn't work."

Sarah shook her head and she said, "You're just a little kid, Clem. You don't understand." She walked away from Clementine. "I could have done more… I should have never talked back to my dad. I should have told him that I loved him… And Zeke…" She stopped in front of the door to go outside. "There was so much I could have done for him… I let him die."

Before Clementine could say another word, Sarah opened the door and left the house. She was brought out of her daze by Genevieve crying. She walked over to the toddler and picked her up. She must have understood what Sarah was talking about. Clementine bobbed the toddler in her arms to calm her down. "Shh… it's okay." Clementine said. There was nothing Clementine could do to sooth the toddler.

A few minutes passed by before her father woke up. "What? What's wrong? Is Genevieve hurt?" Alvin asked.

Clementine looked to her adoptive father and she said, "Sarah talked about Zeke."

Alvin's eyes widened and he said, "Oh. Here, I can take her." He had his arms stretched out. Clementine gave him the whimpering toddler. "Shh… it's okay, baby. Everything's alright." Alvin said as he cradled the small toddler in his arms. In seconds, she had calmed down and was asleep.

"You're really good at that." Clementine said.

"Just comes with experience." Alvin said. "By the way, you could have woken me up. You didn't have to look after Genevieve all by yourself."

Clementine shrugged. "She's cute. I wanted to play with her." Clementine said.

Alvin chuckled and he said, "That's fine honey, but you don't have to console her by yourself when she's crying."

"Okay…" Clementine said with a frown.

Alvin noticed this and he said, "I think you did a good job of being a big sister."

"Thanks." Clementine said as a small smile formed on her face. She got back up and looked over to the front door that Sarah used to leave.

"Did Sarah leave?" Alvin asked.

"Yeah…" Clementine said.

"She'll talk to us when she's ready." Alvin said. "We just got to be patient until then."

Clementine nodded. She wondered when that time would come. She missed her best friend.

 **Sarah's POV**

Sarah continued to walk down the sidewalk of the small community. Clementine's words kept echoing in her mind along with what she saw that night… the night she lost her father and her boyfriend. Clementine was wrong. She knew that she was wrong. She constantly thought of what she could have done to save them or… even dying with them. She shuddered at the thought of dying, but if she had died in that herd, she would see her mom, her dad, and her boyfriend again. She would get the chance to see Decker for the first time; it would be nice to see him considering how much Zeke talked about him.

"Hey! Watch out!" A boy's voice was heard. Before she could turn her head, she was hit in the head with a ball. The ball had hit her so hard that she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Ow…" Sarah muttered. She got up and was met by a boy. He appeared to be the same age as her. He wore an orange hooded sweatshirt with a black shirt underneath, blue jeans, and black boots.

"Sorry about that." The boy said as he picked up the ball that hit her. It was a basketball. "Austin threw up a brick."

Sarah was confused by what he said and gave him a questioning look. "You don't know what a brick is?" The boy asked.

"No. I think sports are stupid." Sarah muttered.

"Geez… okay." The boy said with his arms up in surrender.

Sarah's face softened and she said, "I'm sorry… I've had a couple of bad days."

"It's cool." The boy said. "Let me guess. You lost someone close to you?"

She shook her head and she said, "I lost two people who were close… and it's my fault."

"That sucks…" The boy said.

There was a long pause before one of the boys spoke up. "Hey Jed. Pass the damn ball."

The boy looked back to one of the boys and he said, "Alright. Here moron." He tossed the ball to the boy. He looked back to Sarah and he said, "Sorry about them. We don't get a lot of downtime in the community, so we usually make the most of it."

"Your name is Jed?" Sarah asked.

"Yup… the one and only." Jed said. "So… what's your name?"

"Sarah." Sarah said.

"Sarah… nice name. So tell me Sarah. Why do you not like sports? I'm guessing you weren't too good at them." Jed said.

"I usually got bullied by jocks…" Sarah said.

"Oh… that sucks." Jed said. "I guess I can see why you're not a big fan of sports."

"Uh huh." Sarah said. "Anyway… it was nice to meet you." She proceeded to walk away but Jed proceeded to catch up to her and walk with her

"Hey look… I know you probably want to be alone and all, but-" Jed said.

"Then why don't you just leave me alone?" Sarah inquired.

Jed scoffed and he said, "Because I know how to make you feel better."

Sarah looked to him with a questioning stare. "How?" She asked.

Jed smiled and he said, "Meet me at my house after dinner. My house number 2501."

Sarah contemplated on what he said before shaking her head in agreement. She had no idea what he considered would make her "feel better".

"Cool. By the way, you might want to go find your group. We're going to have dinner soon." Jed said.

"Okay… Thanks…" Sarah said.

"No prob." Jed said and he walked away.

She started to walk back to the house that her group was in. She kept contemplating on what Jed had told her. She wasn't sure if she could trust him, but at this point, she would be willing to do almost anything to dull the pain.

 **Clementine's POV**

Julie had returned to tell the group that it was time for dinner. They had to wait until Luke returned with Sarah. In the meantime, Gill, Randy, and Patricia had arrived at the house. Clementine was playing cards with Becca, Russell, and Gill as they waited. It seemed Becca had calmed down since Clementine had last spoken to her.

"Do you think Sarah's okay?" Gill asked.

"I don't think so." Clementine said. "And I don't think there's anything I can say or do to change that."

"Sarah just needs time. Don't worry." Russell said. There was a long pause. It was Becca's turn. She seemed to be spacing out. "Hey Bec. Your turn." Russell said.

"Hmm… sorry. What'd you say?" Becca asked.

"It's your turn." Russell said.

Becca picked up a card and laid it down on the pile. It was as if she wasn't there either. Clementine was wondering if she was going through the same thing as Sarah. But why? She didn't think that she and Zeke were friends, and she knew that Becca and Carlos didn't like each other.

"Is everything okay, Becca?" Clementine asked. She wasn't very close to Becca, but that didn't mean she didn't care about her.

Becca looked up and she said, "I wish…"

"Do you miss Zeke?" Clementine asked.

"Clem, let her be." Russell said.

"No… It's okay, Russ. I think I'm ready to talk about it." Becca said. She placed the cards faced down and she said, "I miss Vince… You know… Shel and Vince were actually dating… I thought it would be really cool to have a brother-in-law like him. Then he died… and now I feel like shit. Vince was sometimes like a big brother to me."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Clementine said. Vince was a good friend. He tried to stop Carver from abusing her, and it seemed like he always had his group's best interest in mind.

"Yeah…" Becca said. Russell placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Typically, Becca would shrug him off, but she seemed to accept it.

Clementine drew a card. She paused when she heard footsteps approaching the room that they were in. It was Wyatt and Eddie. "Hey kids, time to go." Eddie said. "We are very late."

They got up and walked over to the two adults. "Thanks for looking after them, Russ. Let's get going." Wyatt said. They proceeded to leave the house. Clementine noticed that the other adults were ahead of them and were approaching the large factory building from before.

"The cafeteria is in there? You do realize that the FDA would have a field day with this, right?" Wyatt joked.

"Hey. We have eaten in worse places. Remember that time in Seattle?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah thanks. I think I just threw up a little in my mouth from the memory by itself." Wyatt said. The two proceeded to chuckle.

"So, what are we having tonight?" Russell asked.

"I don't know. It's usually a surprise. Oh, by the way, there's something that we need to do before we eat, there's someone you need to meet." Eddie said. He looked to Wyatt when he mentioned the last part.

"Who?" Wyatt asked.

"The guy that chased us." Eddie said.

Wyatt's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "No. No. No! Hell NO! What the f***, Eddie? That psycho's here! He nearly killed us!" Wyatt had stopped and was looking around. It was as if he was expecting to be attacked. They had stopped and waited for the two adults.

"Wy, relax man. He's not that bad when you get to know him." Eddie said. "Besides, I did shoot his friend, so…"

"And he tried to kill us!" Wyatt said.

"Look man… All I'm asking is that you meet him and just talk it out." Eddie said. "Oddly enough, I'm actually friends with him now."

"That is crazy. We've done some crazy shit, but this is going too far. He will kill us." Wyatt said.

"He's not like that anymore. He's a changed man." Eddie said. "He usually goes out to scavenge for the community, so you won't even see him that much."

Several seconds passed. Clementine couldn't help but grasp her stomach as it growled. She was starving. She wondered if she should just leave Wyatt and Eddie, but she was too nervous. She didn't feel safe on her own. Finally, Wyatt huffed and he said, "Fine… against my better judgement, I will go along with this train wreck of a plan, but I promise you if he kills me, I am going to haunt your ass for the rest of your life."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Eddie said with a smirk.

"Alright… let's get this over with…" Wyatt muttered.

"Follow me to your demise." Eddie joked. He continued to walk toward the factory.

"I'm dead serious about haunting you for the rest of your life if this guy kills me." Wyatt said as he followed Eddie. The rest of the small group followed them.

Gill chuckled. "Is Wyatt always like this?" Gill asked

Clementine shrugged and she said, "I don't know. I haven't hung out with him much."

"He does have a sense of humor." Russell said. "But I think he's more sarcastic now since he found Eddie. If I remember correctly, Wyatt said that he and Eddie have been best friends since they were children."

"Whoa." Gill said. He seemed impressed that Wyatt and Eddie have been friends for so long. "So what exactly happened in Seattle?"

Russell scoffed and he said, "You don't want to know… especially when we're about to eat."

"Fair enough." Gill said.

* * *

Clementine looked around the area. She had to admit that it was almost like a real cafeteria. The factory smelled different now. The smell from earlier had been replaced by the sweet aroma of the food. She saw many adults at the tables. She and her group were the last to come get something to eat. Everyone else was either eating or talking. It reminded her so much of the ski lodge. It was awful that the ski lodge didn't work.

"There he is." Eddie said. He led them over to a man who had his back turned to them. He seemed to be eating something from a bowl. He wore a blue hat, a black leather jacket with a tan hooded sweatshirt underneath, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of grey boots. He looked to be in his early forties.

"Hey. I was wondering if you would make it back." Eddie said to the man.

The man turned to the group. He got out of his seat which revealed a small girl next to him. Clementine figured that she could have been nine. She had long brown hair. She wore a yellow hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and white shoes.

"Stoner, I see you've been keeping yourself lazy." The man teased.

"Nate!" Russell exclaimed.

The man looked over to Russell. His eyes widened for a second before he cleared his throat. "Russ… long time, no see." The man said.

"The f*** you doing here?" Russell exclaimed. Clementine looked around and noticed that everyone had gone quiet and were watching them.

"Easy Russ." The man named Nate said.

"Wait. This guy is Nate. The same guy that shot that old couple?" Wyatt asked.

Russell nodded. He kept reaching for his handgun which wasn't there. He must not have been thinking straight. After all, their weapons had been confiscated by the guards when they entered the community.

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: Perfect timing for a cliffhanger. I know you guys have missed my cliffhangers.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.**

Clementine had heard stories about this man. Russell had talked about how Nate nonchalantly wanted to kill an elderly couple when he was with him. "Come on, Russ. That was a long time ago." Nate said. "Those old crows tried to shoot our heads off. I'd say they got what they deserved."

"You… You're a psycho!" Russell exclaimed. He stopped reaching for his gun. He was starting to back away.

"You should apologize to him. He's scared of you." The young girl spoke up. She was looking to Nate. Nate gave her a questioning look. "Please… for me."

Nate sighed and he looked to Russell. "Russ. I'm sorry that I put you through all of that." Nate said.

Russell stopped backing away. He seemed shocked that Nate was listening to the little girl. "I don't know if I can believe you." Russell said. He seemed to be unconvinced by Nate's change in attitude.

"I don't blame you. Russ, I haven't exactly lived a good life. I've taken what I want and killed anyone who's looked at me crooked, but things have changed." Nate said.

"Like I said, Nate's a different person now." Eddie said.

Russell seemed to be conflicted until he looked to the girl. "Who's she?" Russell asked as he gestured to the girl.

Nate smiled. He crouched down to be at eye-level with the little girl. "This is my wonderful, loving daughter, Danielle." Nate said.

She smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You can just call me Dani."

"You have a daughter?" Russell asked. He was disturbed by this. Clementine knew why. Russell had also mentioned that Nate wasn't very respectful towards women.

"Yeah. Her mother was a stud. She was a ten out of ten." Nate said. "She had an amazing ra-"

"Hello. Ten year old right here." Danielle said.

Nate cleared his throat and he said, "Anyway, the point is, she was stunning. We thought about settling down. I wasn't too sure at the time, but I went with it for a little while anyway. She got pregnant, and then little Dani was born. As you can imagine, I was devastated. I didn't want a little girl. I wanted a boy. So, I left."

"Why am I not surprised?" Russell muttered.

"Then I met the little rugrat about two weeks after I met you." Nate said. "Started off a little clingy and cried a lot, but now, she's pretty tough." Danielle shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"So… you're friends with Eddie?" Wyatt asked.

"Eh… I guess so. He's the only one I trust to look after Dani when I'm out doing runs." Nate said.

"Really?" Wyatt asked. He looked to Eddie and he said, "Last I checked, you sucked at babysitting."

"Still do." Eddie said.

"Come on… Give yourself some credit. You're there for me when dad's out." Danielle said.

"So what? Now that you have a kid, you think things have changed?" Russell inquired. "You killed those people. You wanted me to kill them."

"Look, Russ. I don't know what to tell you." Nate said. "I thought you would have gotten over it by now."

Russell shook his head and he said, "This little shit show doesn't prove anything. You're still a piece of shit who does nothing but kill. You're just like Steve."

Nate scoffed and he said, "Preaching to choir, kid."

Russell grumbled to himself before walking away. "Russ…" Gill said.

"Leave him alone, Gill." Becca said. Gill looked to the teenager who said, "He needs time to vent." Gill sighed before leaving the group. Clementine watched him walk over to his parents. She saw her parents next to Gill's. Rebecca was signaling her to come over.

"Well… that was about what I expected…" Nate said. "By the way, if I were you, I would try the oatmeal. It is amazing."

Eddie scoffed and he said, "You get the same thing every time for dinner."

Nate shrugged. "Just my suggestion." He and Danielle sat next to each other and the two continued to eat.

Clementine walked away and went over to her parents. She sat next to Gill. Her mother gave her a plate of food. "Thanks." Clementine said.

"You're welcome." Rebecca said.

Before she began eating, she noticed Wyatt and Eddie sitting down next to her and Gill. "Who is that man that you were talking to? I think this is the first time I've ever seen him." Randy asked Eddie and Wyatt.

"Nate." Wyatt said. "Russ and I have met him before."

"I remember you guys talking about him back at Howe's. Should we leave?" Alvin asked.

"Why the hell is a man like that with a little girl?" Rebecca inquired. Clementine could tell that her adoptive mother wasn't happy.

"Easy. That's Danielle. She's his daughter." Eddie said.

"His daughter?" Rebecca asked.

"That doesn't sound right." Alvin said.

"Look, I didn't believe it at first either, but… Danielle has said that he is her biological father. I've watched Dani many times for him when he's gone out to scavenge. She has never said anything about him being a terrible dad to her." Eddie said. "I've known him for a while now, and I haven't seen anything that would seem too suspect. I think he's changed."

"In this world, when someone changes, it's never for the better." Randy said.

"He's right." Patricia said. "If he was terrible before, he's worse now."

"Guys, come on. He's still an asshole but he's not… abusing his kid." Eddie said. "Come on, Wy. Back me up here. You've talked to him." He was looking to Wyatt.

"I… I don't know…" Wyatt said.

"Dude. Come on…" Eddie said.

"Eddie, he nearly killed us that night we got separated! I thought I left you to die to that psycho!" Wyatt said. "You seriously expect me to have your back in defending this guy?"

Eddie glared at Wyatt and he said, "No… I guess not." He got up from the table and walked away.

"Eddie..." Wyatt said. Eddie ignored him as he walked away. Wyatt sighed and he said, "Dammit."

Clementine looked back to her plate and started to eat. She was starving. It was a nice meal. There was corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some meat.

"Strange… I haven't seen Mike all day." Alvin said. "He completely disappeared after talking to Jonah."

"I think he wanted to go back to Texas. I overheard him talking about it a couple of times back at Howe's." Wyatt said.

"So, he just left?" Rebecca asked.

Wyatt shrugged. "I don't know… Maybe. He's not exactly very social. He usually kept to himself back at Howe's."

"Huh… I would have at least liked for him to say goodbye to everyone." Rebecca said.

"Yeah…" Wyatt said.

"I guess what's done is done." Alvin said.

Clementine continued to eat her dinner as the adults continued to talk. It would have been nice to relax, but she couldn't help but look over at Sarah. It appeared that she stayed away from the rest of the group. Recalling on her adoptive father's words, Clementine decided to let her best friend have some space.

As she finished eating, Clementine noticed that many people were leaving the tables. It seemed that they were leaving the factory and heading home. She noticed that Jonah and a boy were approaching the tables that her group was sitting at.

"So, how was dinner?" Jonah asked.

"It was very good. Thank you." Rebecca said.

"You're welcome. Now… we need to get down to business." Jonah said. "In order for this community to function properly, everyone has to do a job. Tomorrow, you'll be given your first set of assignments. Some of you will work in the factory while others will work in the field."

"Just out of curiosity, what exactly does this factory do?" Luke asked.

Jonah smiled and he said, "I'm glad you asked. We make a variety of tools here. We've also made bullets."

It seemed everyone was surprised by that. "You know how to make bullets?" Wyatt asked. "That's impressive."

"Indeed. I'm afraid the man that taught us the craft has since passed, but we will continue to thrive thanks to him." Jonah said.

"Jonah, what about the children?" Patricia asked. "What will they be doing?"

"They'll be looked after by Julie. She's watched Nate's daughter from time-to-time whenever he's out and Eddie's busy." Jonah said.

"Thank goodness…" Patricia said with a sigh of relief.

"Any other questions?" Jonah asked.

"What about Sarah?" Rebecca asked in a more hushed voice, so the teenager couldn't hear her. "I don't think she's ready for any responsibilities."

"I think she can look after herself. You said she was fifteen, right?" Jonah asked.

"Yes but she's still grieving. She lost her father and her boyfriend in a matter of minutes." Rebecca said. "Plus, she has anxiety problems which only makes it worse."

"Look, I understand where you're coming from. I do, but the needs of the community outweigh the needs of one person. I know that sounds harsh, but it's the law of the land now." Jonah said. He made a gesture to the boy next to him. "My boy, Jed, and I lost my beautiful wife, my daughter, and whatever else was left of our family after we were attacked by a bunch of raiders around a year and a half ago. I wanted to be there for him… I wanted to grieve, but… the community was in chaos. In that same raid, we had lost our fearless leader and many, many members. Everyone was in a panic. As second-in-command, I had to step up and restore order. As leader of this community, I've done many things that I've regret doing and have made decisions that disgust me, but Hayfield would not exist if I had consoled my son."

Clementine was astonished. He seemed to be a good leader. "We… understand." Luke said.

"Excellent." Jonah said. "On that note, I'd say we'd turn in for the night."

"It's not even that late, dad" The boy, Jed, said.

"For you, it's not that late, but for an old man like me, it's past my bedtime." Jonah said.

Jed scoffed and he said, "It must suck getting old."

Jonah laughed and he said, "Damn right." He turned back to the group and he said, "Anyway, I will see you all tomorrow." He turned and started walking away.

"Good night, Jonah." Luke said.

"Good night." Shel said.

As the leader of the community left, it seemed that everyone was getting up from the tables to leave. Clementine watched as Jed approached Sarah. She wondered what he was doing.

 **Sarah's POV**

Eating in the factory was misery. Heck, everything was misery. She didn't want to be around anyone and hearing how people were laughing and having a normal conversation drove her crazy. It took everything she had to stay in the factory until dinner was over. Sarah heard someone sitting in front of her. "So… you still interested in my offer?" She heard Jed say.

Sarah looked up to him. It didn't take long for her to nod her head.

"Cool. Follow me." Jed said. He got up from the table. Sarah also got up and followed behind him. However, they were cut off by Luke and Rebecca.

"Hold on. Where do you think you two are going?" Luke asked.

"My place." Jed said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What's the problem?"

Rebecca glared at him. "You know what the problem is. You're dragging a grieving girl to your home to do who-knows-what to her." Rebecca said.

"I'm not dragging her anywhere. She's coming on her own freewill." Jed said.

Rebecca and Luke were shocked upon hearing this. Rebecca turned to Sarah and she said, "Sarah, we need to talk this over. You should have told us about this. I don't think you should go to Jed's house like this."

Sarah shook her head. "He says he knows how to make me feel better. I'm going… I'm sick of feeling this way." Sarah said.

Luke looked to Jed. "What exactly are you going to do to make her feel better?" Luke asked with a suspicious look.

"Relax. I ain't going to lay a finger on her." Jed said.

"I don't believe you." Rebecca said.

"Well… it ain't up to you two." Jed said. "It's up to her." He made a gesture to Sarah.

"She's a grieving girl." Luke said. "She's-"

"Stop it!" Sarah snapped which made Luke jump. He wasn't expecting her to do that. She didn't like to be put on the spot like this, but she knew that Jed was right. She wasn't a little kid anymore; she could make her own decisions. "I'm doing this with or without your consent. As far as I'm concerned, I'm old enough to make these decisions by myself."

"Sarah, you have to think this through. You don't know this boy." Rebecca said.

"I don't care…" Sarah said. "I've made my decision." She looked to Jed and waited for him to lead the way.

Jed nodded and started to walk away from the group with Sarah following behind him. Rebecca grabbed her arm and she said, "You may not have a father or a mother now, but I've looked after you for a while. I know this isn't you. You are still technically a child until you are eighteen. So until then, I'll be your guardian. You are not going with that boy."

"Funny… You're just like my dad." Sarah said. It was obvious that she had a resentful tone of voice toward Rebecca.

"Carlos was overprotective." Rebecca said. "He didn't want you to have a boyfriend. I'm trying to keep you from getting hurt. Sarah, think about this. In the back of your mind, you know something doesn't feel right about this."

Rebecca made a good point, but at the same time, the concept of reason was being overshadowed by grief and the need to relieve some of that grief. Sarah wrestled out of Rebecca's grip. "I'll be home before morning." Sarah said. She walked away from the group to follow Jed. She could hear murmurs from her group as she left. As much as she didn't want to admit it, part of her didn't feel good about this.

* * *

Sarah and Jed arrived at the house. "Come on." Jed said as he went to the gate that would lead to the backyard. "We have to go to the shed. A lot of people wouldn't approve of what I do in there especially your group, but I think it's because they don't understand. They have no idea what it feels like to lose everyone."

Sarah was confused by that statement. "You still have your dad." Sarah said.

Jed scoffed. "He might as well be dead. From sun up to sun down, he is working. He's working to improve the community, get more food, get more supplies… He's practically never around." She could hear the disdain in his voice as he talked about his dad. He must have hid how he felt about his dad.

She had the opposite problem. Her father was constantly breathing down her neck. She liked it at first but then it became overwhelming. "So, what was that your boyfriend like?" Jed said as the approached the shed.

"Why are we talking about this? I thought you were going to help me feel better." Sarah said.

"I am." Jed said. "But first, you have to get angry. Let all that anger build up?" He opened the door of the shed.

Sarah looked at him with a perplexed stare as he entered the shed. She followed him and was surprised to smell the stench of death and decay. A dim light turned on from a lantern on the shelf which illuminated the shed. "You'll have to excuse the stench." Jed said.

Her eyes adjusted to the light. She saw him walk over to a body. However, the arms on this body were missing. She couldn't tell who it was since there was a hood over its head. "Here it is… The best way to relieve all that anger." Jed said. He removed the hood. The face underneath the hood belonged to a walker, but it was missing its lower jaw.

"What is all this?" Sarah asked. Part of her was horrified by this.

"I already told you. This is how you feel better. This is how you get rid of all this anger." Jed said. The walker managed to get to its feet only to be knocked down by Jed who had punched it in the abdomen. "You take it out on this piece of shit."

… **To be continued.**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: I've noticed some complaints about Clementine being able to get over trauma a little too easily. Sorry if I'm not doing an extraordinary job of showing this, but she does have some trauma in this story. You got to see her go through it temporarily when she killed Carver. Remember how she lashed out at Luke. She didn't stop when he got hurt. She turned back to Carver and continued to slaughter him in a very brutal fashion. Anyway, I'll try to have more showings of this in the future, but at this point in the story, she is just getting over her fear and anxiety of Carver. She hasn't had much time between killing him off and now. She's actually had less than a day after the trauma (by the end of the previous chapter). That doesn't give me a lot of time to work with her. Also, I've seen some emphasis on the amount of time she was with Carver. It wasn't a very long period of time. Don't get me wrong. Abuse is very damaging for a child regardless on the amount of time, but the point I'm trying to make is that Clem endured less than a day's worth of abuse. Now that's still a lot, but it's not as significant as you guys have pointed out. I feel like you guys are trying to say that she went through three to five days of abuse. No… less than a day. Carver did not abuse her first thing when he got to Howe's in the evening and he did not abuse her on the way to Howe's. Keep in mind, Carver assumed that he had won. He assumed that he would have plenty of time to teach Clementine everything he knew. I hope that this cleared everything up. Anyway, I do want to thank you guys for your constructive criticism. Although, I would appreciate it if we can stay away from being snarky and biting my head off over it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.**

Sarah wasn't sure what to think. It was weird that Jed was punching something that, at this point, couldn't hurt him, but at the same time, she understood why he was doing it. He made a valid point. These wretched creatures had taken everything from her. Still, one question remained. "That one looks awful. Have you thought about getting another walker beat up on?" Sarah asked.

Jed scoffed and he said, "No… this one is special to me. I'll keep beating it till there's nothing left. You see, when this thing was a living, breathing human, he was the bandit that killed my mom right in front of me and my sister… then he took my sister to one of the bedrooms and raped her before killing her… Now, I use him as my favorite punching bag. There's a part of me that hopes that when these things turn, they feel all the pain that their body goes through."

Sarah frowned. "I'm sorry about your mom and your sister… You shouldn't have gone through that." Sarah said.

Jed huffed and he said, "Yeah… well… every day is a battle." He turned to the girl and he said, "Look, I'm not quite ready to accept what happened to my mom and sister, but that's because I didn't have people in my life to help me through that."

Sarah looked down. She wanted to think that her dad was special and didn't die and that he saved her boyfriend. She didn't want to accept the idea that they were dead.

"Anyway, go on." Jed said. He gestured to the walker that was still bound by its waist. It appeared to be trying to growl at them, but it came out as a hiss due to its missing lower jaw.

Sarah went up to the undead creature as it struggled against its restraints. She wasn't so sure on beating up the creature. She debated on doing it for several minutes. "Don't forget what this thing took from you." Jed said. "It took your family, your friends, and you boyfriend."

Flashes of her mother, her father, and Zeke went through her mind as she balled up her fist. She felt tears form in her eyes. "Don't show it any mercy." Jed said. She looked up and punched the creature in the waist. It wasn't a very hard punch. She continued to punch it as tears flowed from her eyes. "There you go." Jed said. After several punches, the creature lost its balance and fell to the ground. Sarah got closer to it and started punching its face. Meanwhile, Jed cheered her on.

After several more hits, Sarah backed away from walker and huffed. Her face was covered in tears. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were puffy. She whipped away the tear with her sleeve. She noticed that her knuckles were red.

"Man… been a while since that thing got a thrashing like that. Pretty impressive." Jed said. He walked up to the girl and held her hands. "Don't worry, the swelling will go down by tomorrow."

Sarah nodded and she said, "I… I don't know if this was right… I don't feel good about it."

Jed nodded and he said, "Give it a few more tries. That odd feeling you have right now will go away. It's also a decent stress reliever."

Sarah nodded and she said, "Thanks Jed… I'd like to go back home now."

"Of course. I'll walk you home." Jed said.

Sarah showed a small smile. He may have been weird, but at the same time, he seemed cordial. They walked out of the shed and went out to the sidewalk. Jed walked next to her as he looked for the house that Sarah lived in. Sarah looked up at the stars as she walked home with Jed. She couldn't stop thinking about her father's or Zeke's deaths.

"Chilly night." Jed said.

Sarah looked to him and nodded. "Yeah… a little bit." Sarah said. There was a long pause before she finally asked, "Why are you helping me?"

Jed shrugged and he said, "You really want the truth?"

"Yes." Sarah said.

"Alright… Don't say I didn't warn you. I think you're a pretty girl and well… there aren't a lot of girls in the community right now." Jed said.

Sarah had noticed this. Most of the community was made up of men. Aside from Julie, she's seen only two other women within the community, and the only girl she's seen so far was the one at the factory where Russell made a scene. "I see." Sarah said.

"Look, I know you're still getting over your loss, so I'm going to take it slow. I'm here for you if you need anything." Jed said.

Sarah nodded and she said, "Thanks Jed."

"No prob." Jed said. They continued to walk past the houses until they arrived at the house that Sarah's group was in.

"Alright. Have a good night." Jed said.

"Thanks… You too… and thanks for walking me home." Sarah said.

"You're welcome. See you some time tomorrow." Jed said and he walked away.

"'Yeah… see you." Sarah said. She walked up to the house and went inside. She looked over to see Luke in a chair. He didn't seem happy.

Sarah ignored him and went toward the stairs. "Get back here!" Luke snapped which made her wince. Sarah did as she was told and went over to Luke. "I don't know what the hell you were thinking by going with him like that. He could have hurt you."

Sarah looked down and allowed him to berate her. It was just like what her dad used to do, but now, he was dead, and she had Luke breathing down her neck. "Sarah, we don't know these people all that well yet. We don't know if they're dangerous."

"Why do you care?" Sarah asked.

"It's not just me, Sarah. Everyone cares about you. We're worried about you." Luke said.

"I'm grieving. You didn't give Nick crap when Connie died… and no one gave you a hard time when your mom and dad died. Both of you grieved a lot longer than me." Sarah said.

Luke gave an unpleasant jump upon hearing this. "I… That was different, Sarah… Nick and I didn't go running off with strangers and we're… you're…" He released a sigh and he said, "You're a girl… There are a lot of sick freaks in this world who would want to do unspeakable things to you because you're a tiny girl."

"Maybe they would kill me…" Sarah said.

"That is… a um… high possibility." Luke said. "We don't want those things to happen to you. You need to be a little more cautious with who you can trust."

Sarah nodded. She didn't care what Luke had to say. If anything, she just wanted to go to bed to curl up in a ball and to cry herself to sleep again for the night.

Luke sighed. He must have realized that he wasn't getting anywhere with Sarah. "Alright… go to bed…"

Sarah obliged and went upstairs to a room that she shared with Clementine. She entered the room and saw the young girl was thrashing around in her sleep. Sarah felt bad for the girl. She knew she wouldn't be the same ever again since Carver had tortured her. She was about to head over to her bed until she heard Clementine release a yelp. She looked over to Clementine who was huffing. The girl was looking over to Sarah with a frightened stare. "It's okay, Clem. It's just me." Sarah said. Clementine must have had a nightmare. She went over and sat on the bed next to the frightened girl. Immediately, Clementine clung onto Sarah and cried. Sarah was surprised. The young girl had always been brave; now, she was terrified. "I…It's okay." Sarah said as she returned the hug and started to rub the child's back in an attempt to comfort her. She continued to do this as Clementine's crying turned into whimpering. "It's okay Clem. It was just a bad dream…" Sarah said.

"It was worse than that." Clementine sobbed.

"Shh… it's okay…" Sarah said. She continued to comfort the child until she eventually fell asleep. Sarah gently laid her back onto the bed and tucked her in. Sarah then took off her glasses and placed them on the nightstand. She laid onto the bed and thought about the happy times where her father and boyfriend were alive at the cabin. It wasn't long until she fell asleep.

 **Morning**

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine opened her eyes. She remembered what happened last night and how Sarah did comfort her until she had fallen back to sleep. Her dream was about Carver kidnapping her and torturing her until he had broken her. He then ordered her to kill Luke who was tied up to a chair. She remembered how he pleaded with her in the dream and how all she did was laugh before shooting him. It sent chills down her spine to think of it. She stayed curled up in a ball as she thought about what had happened in her life so far. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't she had just lived a normal life? Why couldn't she have her real parents back? These questions and her imagination of what could have been kept her from moving for hours.

Eventually, she noticed Sarah move and groan. The older teen opened her eyes. "Morning Clem." Sarah said. She reached over to get her glasses from the nightstand. She sat upright and got out of bed. She looked back to the child with a perplexed stare. "Clem? You alright?"

Clementine still didn't respond. "Do you need me to go get your mommy?" Sarah asked.

"My mommy's dead, Sarah… just like yours…" Clementine said.

The teen jumped upon hearing her words. "Wait… Rebecca's dead? How? When?" The teenager said as she started to panic.

Clementine shook her head and she said, "She's not my real mommy… I want my real mommy…"

Sarah huffed. She seemed relieved that Clementine was talking about her biological mother. "Clem… I know Alvin and Rebecca aren't your biological parents, but they love you regardless."

Clementine shook her head and she said, "Just leave me alone." She turned away from Sarah. There was a pause before she heard the teenager walk out of the room.

 **Sarah's POV**

Sarah walked downstairs and saw everyone who lived in the house staring at her. The only person missing aside from Clementine was Genevieve. More than likely, they had Shel looking after the baby. "Sarah, we need to talk about your behavior." Rebecca said.

Sarah entered the living room. She was still stunned by what Clementine had said. "Is everything alright? Where's Clementine?" Alvin asked.

Sarah shook her head and she said, "She's not… acting like herself."

"Like you?" Matthew asked.

Sarah nodded. "She wants her biological mother and she doesn't want to talk to me… She seemed very depressed."

"Oh no…" Rebecca said. "I knew she wasn't okay… Dammit…" She got up and gestured Alvin to follow her upstairs.

"What do you mean she's not alright?" Alvin asked as he got up.

"Think about it? Clem was tortured by Carver and then she lost someone close to her… It only makes sense that she's traumatized." Luke said.

Rebecca nodded in confirmation before heading for the stairs. She paused and gripped Sarah's arm to get her attention. "You and I are still going to have lengthy conversation, but for now, you need to talk to everyone else. I don't care if you don't want to. We love you and we're worried about you. Just because your daddy isn't here anymore, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

Sarah was shocked to hear this but nodded in response. It almost felt encouraging to hear her say this. Rebecca released her arm and went upstairs with Alvin following behind her.

Luke sighed and he said, "Sarah… We still love you, honey. We want you to be safe and happy. I know it doesn't compare to what you've been through since I'm older, but I lost my parents too."

"It's not the same… You don't understand." Sarah said.

"But we do. We've all lost people, Sarah." Luke said.

"Sweetie, we are all very sorry you lost your father and boyfriend like that. We're here for you. We're going to help you through this." Sarita said.

Sarah shook her head and she said, "I don't want help… I just… I want them back."

"I know you do, kiddo." Luke said. "Right now though, you need to start listening to us. You should have never gone with that boy, Jed, last night."

"Why?" Sarah inquired as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Like I said last night, we don't know these people yet, and we don't know if they're dangerous." Luke said.

Part of her could understand why Luke was being so cautious, but another part of her hated this. Why do they keep babying her? "So what? You want someone to babysit me the whole time?" Sarah inquired.

"No, that's not what I'm saying." Luke said.

"Sarah, we just want you to be careful around these people until we're sure what they want from us." Matthew said.

"You didn't seem to show that same sense of caution with us back at the ski lodge." Sarah said to Matthew.

Sarita frowned and she said, "That was different then. We didn't have children to protect. You, Becca, Clem, Gill, and Genevieve…"

"I'm not a little kid anymore…" Sarah said.

"On the contrary, you are." Matthew said. "You're not a grown up yet."

"Whatever." Sarah muttered and she went toward the door.

"Sarah, hold on… Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"Somewhere where people don't treat me like a freaking baby!" Sarah snapped. She opened the door and slammed it shut. She balled up her fist as tears came down from her eyes. She couldn't stand being coddled anymore especially by everyone inside. If anyone was going to coddle her, it was going to be her family or Zeke… She stomped down the sidewalk and went toward Jed's house. She needed some time away from the group. She was sick of people treating her differently. They would have never done this to Nick. The only reason they coddled her was because of her anxiety problems.

 **Clementine's POV**

The door opened to Clementine's and Sarah's room. The young girl heard a pair of footsteps approaching her. Someone sat down next to her on the bed and she felt a soothing hand on her arm that was covered up by the blanket. "Hi baby… Everything okay?" Her adoptive mother's voice was heard.

She didn't respond. She just wanted to be left alone.

"I think you would feel better if you got something to eat." Rebecca said.

Again, no response. Rebecca continued to rub the girl's arm in a soothing manner. Alvin went over and crouched down in front of the girl. She looked up to him before looking away. "I want my real parents…" Clementine finally said.

"Aw honey… Your real mommy and daddy are in heaven, right now." Alvin said.

"I don't want them there… I want them here." Clementine said. It sounded like she was on the verge of crying.

"I know baby. Rebecca and I would do anything so that you could have them back, but… it's not possible." Alvin said.

"Clementine, baby, we adopted you and we promised to love you like your real mommy and daddy loved you. I know it's not the same… but we are here for you." Rebecca said.

Clementine cried and she said, "It's not fair."

"I know, baby. I know…" Rebecca said. "How about you let daddy hold you for a while and I'll make you something to eat."

Clementine was still distraught. She whimpered as Rebecca got up. Alvin also got up and tried to pick up the small girl. She tried to wrestle out of his grip which was something that she had never done. All she wanted was to be left alone. "It's okay, baby." Alvin said to reassured her. She continued to fight him which was in vain since he was way stronger than her. Eventually, Alvin picked her up and held her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth to soothe the child which seemed to work.

… **To be continued.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.**

Sarah had calmed down since she had left the house. It felt weird for her to lose her temper like that. It certainly didn't happen very often. She kept pondering on what had happened at the house until she noticed Jed who seemed to be at a truck with two other men. One man appeared to be in his mid-forties while the other was in his mid-thirties. The one in his mid-forties was stocky and wore a dark blue plaid shirt with a grey long sleeve shirt underneath, blue jeans, and brown boots. He also wore a brown beanie. It appeared that he was bald and had a thick beard. The other man was leaner and wore a leather jacket with a green hooded sweatshirt underneath, blue jeans, and black shoes. She walked over as Jed said, "It looks like we're all set."

One of the men smirked and made a gesture to Sarah. "Hey Jed. I think your girlfriend wants to talk to you." The man said. It was the younger man.

Jed turned to Sarah and said, "Hey good to see you." He turned to the man who had made the remark. "Hey Tim. How about you make yourself useful and get that pile of junk started." The man named Tim rolled his eyes before he went into the vehicle.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked as Jed looked back to her. "You look like you're going somewhere."

"Yeah… we're supposed to meet up with Tucker, Kurt, and Scott." Jed said. He could tell that she was confused. "You haven't met them yet. They usually go out scavenging. We just got word from them that they've been having a hard time with some people."

"A hard time?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah… some folks can cause us problems when we're out scavenging for food and supplies." Jed said. "It might be some folks from Howe's."

Sarah shook her head and she said, "Everyone who was with Carver is dead."

"Hmm…. I see… Well, in that case, it's probably some random scavengers." Jed said. "Tim, Brandon, and I are going to meet up with them to act as backup."

"Sounds dangerous…" Sarah said.

"Yeah… it's just a part of the job." Jed said.

"Maybe… I can come with you." Sarah said. Jed appeared to be shocked to hear her say this. "I can defend myself and… I would like to get out for a while."

Jed rubbed the back of his head and he said, "Sorry. We're getting ready to head out now, and I would need to get permission from my dad so you could come. I doubt Kurt, Tucker, and Scott can wait that long."

Sarah looked down and nodded. "I understand… Be safe out there." Sarah said.

"That's the plan. I'll probably see you some time tomorrow." Jed said.

"Hey Jed! You still talking to your girlfriend? We need to get going!" The other man said. That must have been Brandon.

"Yeah… I'm coming, asshole." Jed said. He turned to Sarah and he said, "I gotta go. Bye." Jed said. He offered the girl a hug.

To his surprise, she smiled and hugged him. "Bye." Sarah said. She hated to admit it, but he was charming at time. He seemed to care for the people within the community… It was like how Zeke cared about everyone in the group and how he would risk his life to help them.

They separated from the hug and Jed went over to the truck. He got inside and waved goodbye to her. Sarah waved goodbye back and watched the truck as it went toward the fence. Two other group members pulled the gate back and allowed them to leave. Sarah heard a pair of footsteps approaching from behind. She turned to see Julie next to her. She also watched the truck leave.

There was a moment of silence between them as the truck disappeared into the countryside. Julie huffed before she said, "You know… my husband's with them. I'm always worried about his safety… I drive myself crazy sometimes just worrying about him. But… like magic, he always comes back with food and supplies. I don't know how he does it."

"Who's your husband?" Sarah asked.

"Tim. He's the one with the leather jacket. We've been married for ten years now… Lost our son when all this started…" Julie said.

Sarah looked to her and she said, "I'm sorry you went through that."

"It's okay… We've all been through loss in one way or another." Julie said.

"How… How do you get through the pain?" Sarah asked.

"Well… that's just the thing. You don't ever get through it. You always have that pain." Julie said. "Time eases the tension and sadness… but only a little bit." She huffed before she continued, "I guess… life moves on… but having friends helps."

Sarah didn't like that answer. There had to have been another way. "So… would you be interested in helping me make bread today?" Julie asked which broke Sarah's thoughts.

"Um… sure… I just… I don't know how to make bread." Sarah said.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you." Julie said.

Sarah nodded and she said, "Okay."

Julie smiled and led the girl to another building. "We got everything we need in this building. It's used to prepare bread, vegetables, fruit, and sometimes cookies and brownies."

Sarah smiled and she said, "I haven't had anything like that for a long time now. I used to help my mom make cookies… I really miss doing that."

Julie smiled and she said, "Maybe we can make a batch of cookies for everyone tonight."

"That would be great." Sarah said. They went into the building where Sarah proceeded to help Julie make bread.

"Okay, you can get the water and I'll get the other ingredients." Julie said.

"Okay." Sarah said.

"We have running water. Just use the spigot over there." Julie said as she made a gesture to the sink. Sarah nodded and went over to the sink. She grabbed a nearby steel bowl that seemed to be clean. She poured the water into the bowl while Julie gathered the other ingredients which was left at the door. She turned off the spigot and took the bowl of water to a wood burner stove in the corner of the room. There was already a fire in it. As the water boiled, she couldn't help but smile a little. It was nice to get her mind off everything by helping Julie.

 **Zeke's POV**

Zeke and Jane had spent most of the morning wandering around and scavenging supplies. Jane was still hopeful to get into Howe's. As they continued to walk, Zeke noticed a monument up ahead. His eyes widened. It was a statue! He ran past Jane and went toward the monument. "Hey!" Jane said. Zeke ignored her. This had to have been Parker's Run. Zeke arrived at the clearing to see that it was abandoned.

"Dammit…" Zeke muttered.

Jane arrived at the clearing as well. She looked around and she said, "You should be more careful. You had no idea if those assholes were here." The 'assholes' that Jane was referring to were the men that they had ran into at the trailer park.

Zeke shook his head and he said, "This has to be Parker's Run. The group should be here."

"Your group? That was two days ago. They've probably moved on by now." Jane said.

"Let's just look around. Maybe we can find them." Zeke said.

Jane crossed her arms over her chest and she said, "You'll die if you keep looking for them. I just… don't understand why you're willing to accept that."

Zeke paused for a moment and sighed. "There are things worse than death. I put myself through hell after my little brother was killed and before I met Christa and Omid. I didn't care about anyone or anything. I wasn't myself." Zeke said.

Jane pondered on his words and she said, "How do you know that everything will work out?"

Zeke shrugged and he said, "I don't. I just take each day one at a time and enjoy the little things. The goal is to find a place that I can call home."

"And what happens if that doesn't work out?" Jane asked. "You can't honestly think that you'll have a permanent home in this world."

"If it doesn't work out, I'll find another home. I'm not going to give up." Zeke said.

Jane became silent at this. Zeke proceeded to look around the monument. He noticed that there were several footprints on the ground. Some of which belonged to smaller feet… It must have been from children. That was a good sign. Maybe he could still find the group.

"Maybe you're right." Zeke heard Jane say. He looked over to the young woman who sighed. "I'm used to seeing people die. I almost expect it now. The last thing I wanted to do was to get involved with another group… but ever since you talked to me, I've been thinking about Jaime… and my life before all of this… I used to be so happy. Now, I don't know what I'm living for." She released another sighed before she continued. "I guess if you can make it work, then I can make it work too." She showed a small smile. "Alright… I don't know if this is going to work, but you've convinced me. Let's find our group."

Zeke smiled and he said, "Okay." He was glad that he finally got through to Jane. It was just like what Omid and Christa did for him. Now, he just hoped that he could still find the group. He followed the footprints that were in front of him to find the group. He followed the trail which led him out of Parker's Run and toward another clearing. He was pulled back by Jane before he entered the clearing. He looked up and saw why she did so. There were three men looking over a boy who was the same age as Zeke.

"Shit… those are the same assholes from the trailer park." Jane whispered. All three men appeared to be in their late twenties or early thirties. One man wore a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and grey boots. Another wore a red sweatshirt, black jeans, and grey shoes. And the other wore a purple sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. The man that wore the purple sweatshirt was stocky while the other two men were lean.

The boy they were standing over was lying on the ground. He had his arms tied up. His glasses were cracked, and it seemed he had been beaten up.

It wasn't long until a truck pulled up. Two men and a boy around Zeke's age got out of the truck and approached the three men. "So… this is the boy that's been giving you trouble? Where's the woman?" The stocky man from the truck asked. He appeared to be in his mid-forties. He wore a dark blue plaid shirt with a grey long sleeve shirt underneath, blue jeans, and brown boots. He almost reminded Zeke of Wyatt since he had a thick beard, but Wyatt wore glasses and had dirty-blonde hair. The man didn't wear glasses and appeared to be bald.

"No… found this asshole limping across the clearing. Had a bag full of medicine." The man with the red sweatshirt said.

The boy started speaking a different language. It sounded as if he was insulting them. He then started to speak English. "You take my sister's medicine. You are…" He threw out another insult in the foreign language he spoke.

"Boy, speak English." The man in the black hooded sweatshirt said before punching him in the back of the head. The teen grunted in pain.

"Jed, should we take him back to the community?" The other man from the truck asked the teenager that accompanied them. The man wore a leather jacket with a green hooded sweatshirt underneath, blue jeans, and black shoes. The teenager, Jed, on the other hand, wore an orange hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black boots.

Jed seemed to be contemplating before he drew his gun. "I think we got company." Jed said. Zeke's eyes widened. Did he see them? However, he was somewhat relieved to see two men and a woman come into view. The three of them were heavily armed. One man had an assault rifle, the other man had a shotgun, and the woman carried a handgun.

The men that were with Jed aimed at the two men and woman with assault rifles. Jed was the only one carrying a handgun. The two men and the woman started talking to the boy on the ground in a foreign language. After a few tense seconds, the men and woman aimed at the group of men. As soon as they had done so, shots were fired.

The woman was shot and killed first. "NOOOO!" The boy exclaimed. He managed to get up and ran over to the woman. However, before he got to the woman, Jed shot him in the back of the head. The teenager died instantly.

The other two men shot at the group. The man with the red sweatshirt had been shot in the abdomen. He fell to the ground and yelled out in pain. The two men took cover and continued to fire at the group. Another man who wore the leather jacket was shot in the shoulder. He yelled out in pain as he fell back and gripped his shoulder. One of the two men came out from cover to finish him off but was shot in the neck. He jolted back and fell to the ground.

"My gosh…" Jane muttered.

Zeke couldn't pull his eyes away from the scene. It was like watching a car crash. He saw Jed circling around to shoot the last man. The man noticed his approach, but he was too late. He swung his gun around in time to get shot several times in the abdomen.

"We're clear!" Jed said. He went up to the dying man and shot him in the head. The other men lowered their weapons. Jed grabbed the one man and dragged him over to the bodies of the woman and the teenager. The man who wore the purple sweatshirt grabbed the other man's body and dragged it over as well.

Jed looked to the man who wore the red sweatshirt. "Scott, can you walk?" Jed asked.

The man huffed as the man who wore the dark blue plaid shirt helped him over. "Yeah…" The man, Scott, said with a groan. "Motherf******… Shit, it hurts like hell."

"Get him in the truck, Brandon." Jed said.

"You got it." The man, Brandon, said. He helped Scott into the truck while the man in the leather jacket approached Jed.

"Are you alright?" Jed asked.

"Yeah… Julie is going to have my hide for this..." The man said.

"We didn't have a choice." The man who wore the black hooded sweatshirt said.

"True… What are we going to do with them?" The man who wore the purple sweatshirt said as he made a gesture to the bodies.

"The woman stays. We'll let the walkers have her." Jed said. "That kid said that she needed medicine which means that she has some kind of illness."

The man who wore the black hooded sweatshirt nodded and he said, "Yeah, there were some hardcore drugs in that bag."

"Yeah… leave her." Jed said. "Leave the kid too. Not sure if his disability is worth it."

"You got it." The stocky man in the purple sweatshirt said. He picked up one of the dead men and carried him to the truck bed. The man who wore the black hooded sweatshirt grabbed the other man and took him to the truck.

"So, what happened to the kid and the woman you guys were chasing?" Jed asked.

"We lost their trail." The man who wore the purple sweatshirt said.

"Okay. That's not a big deal. For now, we need to return to Hayfield." Jed said.

"I'll drive." The man who wore the purple sweatshirt said.

"Okay." Jed said. After getting the bodies into the truck bed, four of the group members got into the truck while the other two got in the truck bed. They then drove off.

Zeke released a huff. He wasn't sure what he just witnessed. "What the f*** was that?" He muttered. He didn't typically drop the f-bomb, but this was a situation where it was acceptable.

Jane was almost speechless. She huffed and she said, "I don't know…"

… **To be continued.**

 **A/N: It seems Jed and company are brutal to other survivors. I gave you guys a huge hint this chapter about the community of Hayfield. It'll be the last hint. The next chapter will unveil the huge surprise.**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Alright… It's time for the big reveal.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.**

Zeke and Jane waited several minutes before coming out of the brush. They noticed some walkers approaching the bodies of the two people who were killed and left behind by Jed's group. Zeke and Jane went over to the bodies. Zeke took out the approaching walkers with a couple of arrows. Meanwhile, Jane looked over the bodies. "There's nothing on them…" Jane muttered.

Zeke pulled out his two arrows from the walkers before he joined Jane. Several walkers limped toward them, but there was enough distance between them and the undead creatures that they didn't pose an immediate threat. Jane shook her head and she said, "We need to move on."

"Agreed…" Zeke muttered. Jane got up and the two left the area as the walkers gorged on the two bodies.

* * *

Zeke huffed as they came into a small clearing. He sat down on a nearby log while Jane washed her face in the nearby river. There were a few seconds of silence aside from Jane splashing her face. It must have been her way to calm herself down. Anyone who had seen what they had just witnessed would be on edge. She finished and dried her hands on her pants. "I haven't seen something like that in a while. Those guys must have had a grudge against each other." Zeke said. "I just… Dammit… I really hope our group didn't run into those guys."

Jane looked to him and she said, "Same here. They're well-armed and they're ruthless. The thing that worries me though is how those guys looked to that kid. Carver ruled with an iron fist and was respected out of fear… That kid from that group… he's respected for a different reason… Those men trust him…"

Zeke nodded. However, there was something on his mind. It was something that bugged him. "Why would they take the bodies of those two guys? I hope… I hope they aren't what I think they are." Zeke said.

"Cannibals…" Jane muttered. She confirmed what he was thinking. It was the only thing that made sense from overhearing their conversations. Now, Zeke was even more nervous. If those men had found their group, they would be in serious trouble. He feared that his group was already at the chopping block. He shook his head to get rid of these thoughts. "I… I ran into a group of cannibals before… They always made sure to aim for the head to prevent the person from turning and… well you know… Those guys were the same way. They almost always aimed for the head instead of the body." Jane said.

Zeke sighed and he said, "What do we do? What if our group is caught up with them?"

Before Jane could respond another voice was heard. It was someone that they didn't know. "Then they're already dead." They turned to see another man who appeared to be in his early forties approaching them. He wore a blue hat, a black leather jacket with a tan hooded sweatshirt underneath, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of grey boots. He was carrying a handgun which was aimed at Jane. "Alright. You know the drill. All weapons on the ground and back away slowly. You make one move I don't like and I'll shoot you."

Jane was surprised that the man had caught them off guard. He was rather stealthy given his age. She dropped the knife in her possession while Zeke dropped his bow and arrows and his knife. The man looked over the weapons before looking to Jane. "Come on girl. I wasn't born yesterday. All weapons." Jane grumbled before she took a pocket knife from her boot and tossed it to the ground. "Good. Now, I don't suppose you have much food, medicine, or supplies, do you?"

"Not much." Zeke said. He was very uncomfortable around the man. This reminded him too much of when he and Decker had been held up by that psycho; however, this guy seemed to be a bit saner compared to the psycho that he dealt with almost two years ago.

"Hand it over." The man said. Having no choice, Zeke obliged and handed his backpack over to the man. The man checked the backpack and shook his head. "Not much in here…"

"It's all we got, asshole." Jane said.

"Oh… feisty. I like it." The man said. "Tell you what. How about you and I have some alone time away from the kid and I'll leave you both alone?"

Jane glared at the man. There was a long and intense pause before Jane said, "…Fine. Do you have some place in mind?"

Zeke was shocked to hear this. Why would she even agree to this request? He gave her a disgusted look before the man took her by the arm. "Come with me, babe." He turned to Zeke and he said, "We'll be back in a few min-" Before he could finish his sentence, Jane kneed the man in the groin.

He groaned in pain as he fell to his knees and started coughing. Jane wrestled the gun out of his grip and aimed it at him. Zeke was surprised by this. She was waiting for an opportunity for the man to lower his guard. "Get your stuff." Jane told Zeke. Zeke nodded and went over to get his bow and arrows and his knife. He also grabbed Jane's knives.

The man wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. "Damn… I didn't… see that one coming…" The man said in between his huffs.

"Now talk." Jane said. "Information for your life. Who were those guys back there that gunned down that other group? Are they cannibals? Where is our group?"

"Don't know… what you're talking about…" The man muttered.

Jane pushed the barrel of the gun against the man's head. "I'm not going to ask again." Jane said. "You said that our group was already dead earlier. That means you know what we saw. You know about that group."

There was a long pause from the man. Jane was getting more frustrated at each passing moment before the man said, "Alright… I hope you're up to snuff."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zeke asked.

The man looked over to him and he said, "I'll answer your questions, but then, you have to do something for me."

"I already told you what the trade is going to be." Jane said. "You answer our questions and we might let you live."

The man turned to Jane and he scoffed. "You'll understand once I've answered your questions. You see, those people you just saw, they're a part of a community called Hayfield. And yes, they're cannibals, but some of them don't know this."

"What are you talking about?" Zeke asked.

The man turned back to him and he said, "You see… there are farms with livestock that surround the community. Some of the residence believe that they're eating livestock. But, most of the time, it's human meat."

Zeke and Jane were disgusted to hear this. "How do you know all this?" Jane asked.

He looked to Jane and he said, "I figured it out. I noticed that they usually had the same amount of livestock even when they had meat on the menu for dinner to feed a whole community of people. It seemed to be the only explanation. As soon as I connected the dots, I swapped out my and my kid's diet for oatmeal and whatever I catch out here."

"You have a kid?" Jane asked

"Yup. Name's Danielle." The man said.

"I find that hard to believe." Jane said.

"I've been straight with you so far…" The man said. "Now, to answer your final question, I would think that your group is within the community. Some of the group from Hayfield that aren't aware that they're eating human meat went out and came back with a whole bunch of new people. There were some families in the mix. Hell, a couple of the new people were from my past. Russell and Wyatt."

Zeke was shocked to hear this. That had to be them! "Was… Was there a girl in the group? A teenager with glasses on. She has shoulder-length black hair."

"Yeah actually…" The man said. "I think she's taken a liking to Jed."

Zeke's eyes widened. He felt angry and a tad bit jealous that she would start dating someone else. "Why would she…" He then realized that the last time he saw Sarah, he was attacked by walkers. "Oh no… She must think I'm dead." Zeke said.

Jane frowned and she said, "I'm sorry… You should have left me to find her."

Zeke shook his head and he said, "Then I would be in that mess, too. Dammit… she's going to kill me."

"I'll explain it to her." Jane said. "It's my fault you're out here to begin with."

"Look Romeo, you have bigger problems on your hands than your Hispanic girlfriend being pissed off at you." The man said. "If you don't do something soon, they're going to kill another one of your friends and serve him or her up on a plate for dinner."

"Another?" Zeke exclaimed.

"Yeah… I noticed that there was this lean black guy that went missing soon after the group arrived. Jonah always aims to kill off someone who isn't well-liked or well-known amongst the group. That black guy was an easy target. He didn't really talk to anyone in your group, and it seemed like he didn't want to be there. I'm sure they're preparing him for dinner as we speak." The man said.

"F***…" Jane muttered. "That must be Mike… Dammit…"

Zeke tightened his grip and gritted his teeth. "Prove it to me! Prove everything you said is true!" Zeke snapped.

The man chuckled and he said, "It seems from what I've overheard, you guys have more proof that they're cannibals as opposed to me."

Jane huffed and she said, "Who is this Jonah guy?"

"The leader of Hayfield." The man said. "Don't let his charisma fool you; he's quite the mastermind. Has everyone wrapped around his little finger… well… mostly everyone. I don't trust anyone except for myself and sometimes my kid."

There was a long pause between them until Zeke said, "Why don't you and your kid leave the community knowing what you know?"

"Hah!" The man said. "You're joking, right? If Dani and I leave, all that will do is put a target on our backs. Jonah will hunt us down. He'll kill me and use my body for dinner… the sick bastard… As for Dani, I'm not too sure. He'll either wait for her to get older and use her in a meal or rape her. Hard to tell. It's safer to stay within the community… for now. I offer my services to Jonah as a scavenger and in return, he doesn't hurt Dani while I'm out. She's left in the care of someone who won't hurt her. That's what the trade has been for eight months."

"So you're trapped?" Jane said.

"Yup…" The man said.

"How good are their defenses?" Zeke asked.

The man laughed and he said, "You really think you can storm that place? You two will die within seconds. The only way you'll get in is if I take you two as prisoners and break you out before they use you as dinner."

"You seriously expect us to trust you?" Jane asked.

"Well if you don't trust me, one-by-one, your group will be turned into food. And I'll be stuck in this shitty arrangement for my kid until Jonah decides that I'm not useful anymore and kill us both." The man said. "No winners except for Jonah… And none of us want that to happen."

There were a few minutes of silence between them again. This time it was much more intense. Zeke huffed and he said, "We don't have anything to lose."

"We have our lives." Jane said.

"As opposed to the lives of the people we care about, and even if worse comes to worst and we die, at least we'll see Jaime and Decker again." Zeke said.

A few more seconds went by before Jane lowered her gun and she sighed. "What do we have to do?"

The man smiled and he said, "Well, first, I need my gun back. Second, I'll have to tie you both up."

"I'm going to regret this…" Jane muttered. She handed the gun to the man who accepted it.

The man proceeded to tie their wrists together. "Seeing how we have a long ways to go before we get to Hayfield, how about we get some introductions out of the way." The man said as he finished tying Jane's wrists together. "My name is Nate."

"Zeke." Zeke said. It was obvious that he didn't like this arrangement. Nate finished tying his restraints and grabbed their supplies and weapons.

"How about you, babe?" Nate asked Jane.

"Go to hell." Jane muttered.

"Hmm… an interesting name." Nate said with a smirk. He started to lead the way with his handgun out. Both Zeke and Jane knew this was going to be a long journey.

 **Clementine's POV**

Clementine's day seemed to have gotten better after the rough start. Having her adoptive parents around her and comforting her had helped. She had played some board games throughout most of the day with Gill and Danielle in her and Sarah's room. The former had been dropped off by Patricia and Randy. The latter was dropped off by Nate soon after. It took a while until she warmed up to Clementine and Gill. They were now playing Legos with Sarita looking after them and Genevieve; Sarita and Genevieve were downstairs. Clementine was trying to build a car, but there didn't seem to be enough Legos to do that. "I think I like it here." Gill said; he was addressing both girls. Clementine looked up to him as he continued, "It feels like before the walkers."

"That's good. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I like it here too… but my dad doesn't." Danielle said.

"Why not?" Clementine asked.

Danielle shrugged and she said, "That's just how he's always been. He doesn't trust many people. The only reason he hasn't left is because it's easier to live here than outside."

"Hmm… That's a good point…" Clementine said.

Gill frowned as he noticed how distant Clementine was. "Are you okay?" Gill asked.

Clementine nodded and she said, "I told my mommy about… what Carver did to me. And this morning… I felt awful… like almost as bad as when I lost Lee."

"Oh…" Gill said.

Danielle seemed shocked. "What… What did this Carver guy do to you, if you don't mind me asking?" Danielle asked.

"He tortured me… He wanted me to hurt Gill…" Clementine said. "He cut my arms repeatedly for not hurting him."

"Oh…" Danielle said. "Don't worry… I was tortured too… except it was different. I try to be as normal as possible, but some days, I just shut down… Doesn't help when I try to be tough for dad… Like me, you're going to have some bad days, but I think in time you'll be okay."

Clementine frowned and she said, "You shouldn't try to hide it. It hurts a lot when you do that."

"I already cried my eyes out over what happened. What's the point? My dad won't care either way." Danielle said.

Both Gill and Clementine were concerned by this. They hadn't known Danielle for a long period of time, but it did seem like she was lonely at times, and now that they thought about it, she seemed to mask this by trying to appear happy and sometimes silly.

"Dani, you don't have to act tough around us. We're your friends." Gill said.

"My real friends wouldn't keep bugging me about it. It's in the past. Besides, you're little kids. You wouldn't even understand what I went through." Danielle said. She seemed rather harsh as she spoke which surprised Gill and Clementine. "Can we just… please go back to playing with Legos. I don't want to talk about this."

Gill nodded and he said, "Okay."

Clementine nodded as well, but she felt bad for the girl. It was obvious that she went through something more traumatic than what she did. She would have to talk to her mother about it. She seemed to always know how to comfort an upset girl.

The three turned to the door when they heard it open. They saw Sarah standing at the door way. She still seemed distant; however, she at least noticed the three children. "Oh… hi you three." Sarah said.

"Hi Sarah. Are you feeling okay?" Clementine asked.

The girl walked past them and got onto the bed. "Yeah… I think I'm just… going to unwind for a little bit."

Clementine frowned and she said, "Do you… want to play with us? We're playing with Legos."

There was a moment of silence from Sarah as she looked up to the ceiling of her room. Clementine turned back to Gill and Danielle. She figured that was Sarah's way of saying no. However, to her and friends' surprise, they heard the teenager say, "Maybe next time, Clem… I promise."

"Okay." Clementine said. As much as she wished that Sarah had said yes, at least she was talking to her again.

Clementine, Gill, and Danielle went back to play with their Legos. "So… what did you guys do today?" Sarah asked which surprised Gill and Clementine. She hadn't had a normal conversation with anyone for over two days.

"Nothing much. We've just been playing some board games." Gill said.

"That's cool." Sarah said. She became quiet again and continued to look up at the ceiling. Clementine could tell that there was still a lot on her mind, but at least, there was some part of her best friend still inside.

… **To be continued.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The Walking Dead**_ **. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.**

It wasn't long until the adults had come back from working. Gill got up and he said, "I think I'm going to ask about dinner. I'm pretty hungry." Gill said.

"Okay." Clementine said. She and Danielle got up and followed Gill, but she noticed that Sarah was still laying on the bed. Danielle continued to head downstairs. Meanwhile, Clementine watched Sarah as she looked up at the ceiling which made Clementine worry. She knew the teen was deep in thought since she wasn't reading a book. She figured that she would let Sarah have some time to herself just as her adoptive father had suggested. Clementine continued to head for the door and went downstairs.

Once downstairs, she saw Luke heading for the stairs. "Hey kiddo. How was your day?" Luke asked.

"It was good after having a rough start." Clementine said.

Luke nodded and he asked, "Is Sarah upstairs?"

Clementine nodded and she said, "I think she's doing better. She had a short conversation with me, Danielle, and Gill."

"Well, that's progress." Luke said. "I was on patrol with Eddie today. He told me that the factory is where we'll have dinner every night. It's easier on everyone to gather at the factory than for them to go from door to door with food."

"Is Eddie still mad at Wyatt?" Clementine asked. She remembered how the two had gotten into a bad argument at dinner over Nate last night.

"Nah. They made up. That's the thing with best friends. No matter how mad they get with another, at the end of the day, they're still there for you." Luke said with a frown.

"You seem sad." Clementine said.

Luke sighed and he said, "Yeah… it's hard, Clem. I know Nick wasn't the nicest guy in the world to you and that wasn't fair, but he was my friend and I miss him. It's not easy to find a friend that knows you inside and out. It's something you develop over the course of your life." Clementine nodded. While she and Nick didn't always get along, he was still a part of the group and the group was like a family. "Anyway, I ought to get ready for dinner and see if Sarah would be willing to come."

"Okay." Clementine said.

"It was nice talking to you again, kiddo. It seems like we haven't done that for a while with all the craziness that's been going on." Luke said. He showed a small smile.

"Yeah… you're right. Maybe you can help me with training again." Clementine said.

"Kiddo, after what you've been through, the last thing you need is training. Focus on being a kid again and then we'll talk." Luke said.

"Okay." Clementine said. Luke went past her and headed upstairs but she stopped him by calling his name. "Luke… I'm sorry… about hurting you."

Luke turned to her and smiled. "It's alright, Clem. I know you didn't mean to do that." Luke said.

Clementine nodded. She was thankful that Luke was willing to accept her apology. Luke continued going upstairs. Clementine turned around and saw Sarita gathering up the toys that she used to entertain Genevieve in the living room. Danielle was helping her.

"Thanks for helping me, Danielle. I appreciate it." Sarita said.

"You're welcome." Danielle said.

"Do you need any help?" Clementine asked.

"I think we got it." Danielle said. "But thanks Clem." She seemed to have calmed down from earlier. She was back to being her cheerful self.

They went toward the stairs; however, Clementine noticed a rabbit plush toy on the couch. She figured it was Genevieve's though it did appear to be worn. "I'll get this one." Clementine said as she picked up the rabbit plush toy.

Danielle turned back and she said, "Hold on, Clem. That's mine. Her name's Flopsie."

Clementine was slightly surprised by this. Regardless of the trauma that Danielle experienced, she still had some innocence left in her. "Sorry. I'll put her back on the couch." Clementine said.

Danielle smiled and she said, "Thanks Clem." She went upstairs with Genevieve's toys in her arms. Clementine wondered if Danielle needed someone to talk to about her experience. She seemed like a nice girl, but she also seemed hurt and lonely at times. She knew that she felt better after talking to her mother and Danielle did mention that what she went through would be something that she would only talk to an adult about. Clementine knew that her mother was probably the best person to talk to since she had comfort her, Sarah, and Genevieve in the past. She would have to find her and ask her if she would be willing to talk to Danielle.

Clementine noticed Matthew walking over to sit on the couch. "Clementine… what kind of mischief did you bring upon Rita today?" Matthew asked. Clementine smiled. It seemed like he was returning to his normal self. She could still tell that he wasn't as happy as he was at the ski lodge when Walter was alive, but he was cracking jokes.

"Nothing much. I played with Gill and Danielle for most of the day." Clementine said.

"Hmm… I see… We'll have to change that. You got to capitalize on the situation. There are three of you and only one of her." Matthew said. "I'd say you should cause some mayhem and make sure to take pictures."

"Matthew, what are you doing?" Alvin asked as he approached the two in the living room. Rebecca followed behind him with Genevieve in her arms. She had Genevieve's diaper bag in hand.

"Oh nothing." Matthew said. "I may have mentioned that she and the other kids should play some harmless pranks on Sarita. Don't worry. I didn't suggest anything about burning the house down."

Alvin rolled his eyes as he sat down on the sofa. "You'd have to build us a new house if that happened." Alvin said.

"Umm… yeah… about that…" Matthew said. "I have no experience in building anything except maybe a gingerbread house." Clementine looked over and noticed that her mother was behind the couch with Genevieve. She must have been changing Genevieve's diaper. As Clementine got closer, the foul odor made that apparent. She decided to wait until her adoptive mother had finished changing the baby.

"Alright baby girl. All clean." Rebecca said. She looked over to Clementine and she said, "Hi sweetie. Can you hold your baby sister for a minute or two?"

Clementine nodded and she held out her arms to Genevieve. The toddler leaned over to Clementine and allowed the girl to hold her. Clementine followed Rebecca who went into the kitchen to throw away the dirty diaper and to wash her hands. "M-Mommy." Clementine said as she bobbed Genevieve in her arms.

"Yes baby?" Rebecca asked as she finished washing her hands and dried them on the towel.

"I was wondering if you could do something for Danielle." Clementine said. Rebecca looked over to Clementine with a questioning look. "She's really nice, but she also seems really hurt… like me but worse."

Rebecca went over to Clementine and squatted down to her eye-level. "She went through a traumatic experience." Rebecca said. "I could tell."

Clementine nodded and she said, "Maybe you can talk to her. I've always felt better when you've talked to me."

Rebecca sighed and she said, "Sweetie, it might not be that simple, but I'll try. I do want to help her just like you. She didn't have anyone to help her through the trauma she experienced."

Clementine nodded and she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Rebecca said. She frowned before she continued, "Have you seen Sarah at all today? Has she come home?"

"Yeah. She got home a few minutes before you and everyone else got home." Clementine said.

"Okay… Good. I was afraid I would have to send Luke out to go find her." Rebecca said.

"I think she's getting better. She seemed to have a normal conversation with me, Gill, and Danielle." Clementine said.

"Maybe…" Rebecca said. She didn't seem too convinced that Sarah was getting better. "Anyway, I need to go talk to your daddy to see if he can bring me back dinner."

"You're not coming?" Clementine asked.

"I can't. I'll be busy trying to talk to Danielle. It won't be easy to talk to her about… what happened." Rebecca said. She seemed to know what happened to Danielle and was hiding it from her daughter. "Just help daddy with Genevieve and I'll stay here with Danielle and talk to her."

Clementine nodded and she said, "Okay." Rebecca nodded before she got up to leave the kitchen. Clementine followed behind her.

Rebecca went over to Alvin and she said, "I'm going to stay here with Danielle while the rest of you get something to eat."

"Why are you staying?" Alvin asked. "Did Danielle get in trouble?"

"No. I just need to talk to her about something… in private." Rebecca said. "Clem will help you with Gen."

"Okay babe. I'll ask Jonah if I can bring you back something to eat." Alvin said.

Rebecca nodded and she said, "Thank you."

Luke, Danielle, and Sarita walked down the stairs. Luke sighed and leaned against the wall. "Well… I guess we'll have to convince Jonah to let us take a meal home for Sarah. She won't talk to me… Hell, she won't even look at me." Luke said.

Clementine frowned. She thought her friend had made progress. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

"That's too bad." Alvin said.

"There's got to be something we can do to get her through this… I'm at the end of my rope…" Luke said. He sounded frustrated. He must have been upset to see Sarah like this.

"I know how you feel, Luke. I wish there was something we can do, but… she needs more time." Rebecca said. Luke grumbled in response. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's where we're at. Sarah knows that she can talk to us and that we're here to help her."

Luke sighed and he said, "I guess you're right."

There was a knock at the door. Luke was closest to the door and went to open it. "Hey. Just wanted to let you know that dinner's ready." Clementine could hear Julie say from the door.

"Thanks Julie." Luke said. He stepped away from the door and allowed Randy and Patricia to enter the house.

"Mom. Dad." Gill said as he ran over to his parents. He hugged Patricia who returned the hug.

"Did you have a good day, sweetie?" Patricia asked.

"Yeah. It was a lot of fun." Gill said. "How was your day?" He and Patricia separated from the hug.

"Boring and tedious." Randy replied. Patricia rolled her eyes in response to Randy's blunt answer. "You'll have to tell us about your day on the way to the factory."

Gill nodded and joined his adoptive parents as they went toward the door. Julie had already left. She probably went next door to tell Wyatt, Eddie, Shel, Becca, and Russell that it was time for dinner.

"Alright. We better head out before all of the food is gone." Luke said.

Clementine still had Genevieve in her arms who seemed to be content. Alvin grabbed the diaper bag and went over to Rebecca. "I'll be back babe. I love you." Alvin said as he kissed his wife.

Rebecca returned the kiss and she said, "I love you too."

Alvin walked over to Luke and the others. Clementine noticed that Danielle looked confused as she clung to her rabbit plush toy. She must have been used to eating with Nate at dinner.

"Danielle, can you come here please?" Rebecca asked.

Danielle looked back with a confused look and she said, "Umm… okay." She walked over to Rebecca. "Am I in trouble?"

"No sweetie. I just want to talk." Rebecca said.

Clementine felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see her adoptive father looking at her. It seemed everyone was leaving the house to head for the factory "It's going to be alright, baby. Your mommy can handle this."

"Okay." Clementine said. She walked out of the house with Genevieve in her arms. Alvin followed behind her. Unlike last night, the group seemed to stay together.

 **Sarah's POV**

Sarah noticed that the house had become quiet. She could hear a couple voices from downstairs. It didn't seem like that the two voices were there to babysit her which was what she was hoping for. All that time she had spent with Julie was wonderful. She was a kind and caring woman who understood the pain that Sarah had went through. But she didn't have the right answers. She didn't know how to get rid of the pain. The pain that had caused so many nightmares… She was forced to relive the deaths of her mother, her father, and her boyfriend every time she closed her eyes. She was sick of it.

Sarah pulled out a knife from underneath her pillow. She was somewhat glad that Clementine didn't see the knife that she hid in the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt. Once Clementine, Danielle, and Gill had left, she placed the knife under her pillow so no one could see it. Tonight was going to be the last night of her life. She was going to end it by slitting her wrists and bleeding out in the bathroom. She got up from the bed and tip-toed to the bedroom door. Her hand shook as she went for the door before turning the doorknob and heading into the hallway. Once she reached the hallway, she made her way to the bathroom. One of the two people within the house was yelling now. It was as if there was an argument between the two people. It almost sounded like the person who was yelling was Danielle.

She went toward the bathroom while reassuring herself that everything was going to be fine. She would see her parents and Zeke again. In addition, Clementine had friends and was safe, so she wouldn't be lonely. As for the others, like Luke and Rebecca, they would be alright.

Sarah entered the bathroom with no difficulty thanks to the yelling. She went over to the sink and place the knife against her wrist. She huffed as tears formed in her eyes. She seemed to huff more and more as she tried to force herself to cut her wrist. "Come on… Come on… I have to do this." Sarah whispered as tears flowed from her eyes.

Surprisingly, memories of Zeke flashed through her mind. _"Hi… You're Sarah, right?"_ It was the first thing he had ever said to her. More memories of the archer who stole her heart flashed through her mind. _"I know that I think you're cute, nice, fun, and pretty."_ He said that when they had started dating. However, the most painful memory was four simple words. _"I love you, Sarah.."_ It was like he was in the room with her.

She opened her tear-filled eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. She was stunned when she saw Zeke standing next to her. _"Don't give up."_ She heard his voice. He said that when he was teaching her how to shoot a gun. She blinked and the hallucination disappeared.

She lowered her hands and she thought it over. Zeke never gave up. His life was full of trial. He grew up without a mother, was beaten and abused by his father, and watched his little brother die in his arms. He had lost everything, but he never gave up. Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her hooded sweatshirt. She wanted to cry but fought the urge to do so. "I won't give up…" She whispered to herself as her voice cracked.

She could hear whimpering from downstairs which was accompanied by a soothing voice. Sarah went to the door and left the bathroom with the knife in her hand. She walked downstairs and saw Rebecca holding Danielle on her lap while gently rocking her back-and-forth on the couch. The child whimpered a little bit in Rebecca's arms.

Rebecca looked up to Sarah and was shocked to see her. Her eyes widened when she saw the knife. "Sarah… what are you doing with that?" Rebecca asked. She seemed worried as if Sarah was going to do something drastic.

Sarah dropped the knife and she said, "I… I was… going to kill myself… tonight..."

Rebecca frowned. "Why would you think that would be a good idea?" Rebecca asked.

Sarah looked down. She could feel Rebecca's disappointing stare on her. "I don't know." Sarah said. She didn't have any answers.

There was a long pause between them. Rebecca sighed and she asked, "Are you alright?"

Sarah shook her head and she said, "I want the pain to stop." She looked back up to Rebecca. She was unsure why she was looking to her for an answer.

"Sarah, sweetie, I know you want the pain to stop, but it might be a while till it does. These things take time. Just know that we're all here for you… Me, Alvin, Sarita, Matthew, Luke… You don't have to figure this out on your own. You have us." Rebecca said.

Sarah knew this, but for some reason, she had pushed them away. She should have known better. She should have found comfort from the people who knew her best. Sarah looked up to Rebecca and she said, "I'm… sorry that I pushed you and everyone away."

"It's alright, honey." Rebecca said. She made a gestured to her to come sit at the couch next to her.

Sarah obliged and went over to the couch. For once, she didn't feel angry and guilty.

… **To be continued.**


End file.
